Phobia
by Delorean7
Summary: Name: Eddie Strach. Age: 15. Father: Johnathan Crane a.k.a. The Scarecrow  Deceased  . COMPLETE
1. Eddie

**A/N: Hello. If you're reading this, then you clicked on the link to my first Batman story. Either that or you clicked on the wrong link. That fact aside, this is my first Batman story. There will be a slight crossover with another comic, but I don't know if it counts or not. BTW the Scarecrow in this story is based on the Scarecrow from Batman: Arkham Asylum (I will add a link to my profile). Anyway, read on. **

**- Gotham City -**

Flames leaped from the windows of the apartment building as it continued to burn. Hundreds of Gotham's citizens watched from the streets, police stopping them from getting any further. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon gazed up at the towering inferno, turning back to the streets every so often, waiting for him to arrive. A hint of hope flickered in his mind as the BatMobile sped around the corner and skidded to a halt outside of the police barricade. Sure enough, the side door opened and the Dark Knight stepped out. He headed over to Gordon, eyes focused on the burning building.

"What's the situation?" he asked in a deep voice.

"The building caught ablaze just a few minutes ago, we believe the Scarecrow trapped on the 5th floor" Gordon replied.

"Is everybody out of the building?" Batman asked again.

"Nobody lives in that building. It was abandoned years ago. Why would Crane set it on fire?" Gordon pondered, puffing on his pipe. Batman narrowed his eyes.

"That's what I'm going to find out," he replied before firing a grapple hook to one of the window ledges. He flew up off of the ground and climbed in through one of the 5th floor windows. He dusted the broken glass off of his armour and called into the flames.

"Where are you Crane?" he yelled. All he got in reply was a demonic cackle from the other side of the room. Standing by one of the open window, gazing down at the citizens of Gotham was Scarecrow. His horribly thin and pale body covered only by torn cloth and bandages. His right hand wearing his trademark needle fingered glove, fluorescent orange fear toxin bubbling from inside its metal casing.

"I was wondering when you'd notice the flames. Tell me, why bother, Batman?" he asked, turning to face the Caped Crusader. His hood covered his sack of a mask whilst the hangman's noose swung to and fro from his neck.

"What are talking about Crane?" Batman replied.

"Why bother fighting you? You always find a way to beat me. You are immune to my fear toxins; my mind games are inferior to your techniques. And you know what? I may be able to put fear into people, but you can put it back inside me. Why should I continue living when I know I'll never beat you?" Scarecrow replied. The flames were beginning to lick at the carpet they were standing on.

"Listen to me. Your name is Dr. Jonathan Crane. You were a respected professor of psychology at Gotham University. It may all be gone now, but suicide isn't going to fix it" Batman tried reasoning with him, but Scarecrow replied with an evil chuckle.

"Oh really? I may be stealing some of the Riddler's dialogue, but answer me this. I know everybody's fear Batman. But what's mine? What am I afraid of?" he asked menacingly. Suddenly, a creaking came from the ceiling above where Scarecrow was standing. Batman noticed this and held his hand out to him.

"Crane, we have to go. The roof's about to cave in" he urged. But Scarecrow stood firm, almost oblivious to the creaking above him.

"Well Batman. I'll tell you my fear. Its…" he paused as the creaking turned into cracking. He glanced up at the ceiling and smiled before facing Batman.

"…you" he uttered before the roof finally gave way, crashing down on his fragile body. Sparks flew out, covering Batman as he watched the scene unfold.

"CRANE!" he called out, yet nobody replied. He instantly turned around and headed for the window again. After taking a quick glance back at the wreckage, he dropped out of the window and glided to the street below. When he landed, Gordon walked up to him.

"What happened to Crane?" he asked. Batman gave him a look of grief, yet still kept his tough-guy persona intact.

"Did he…" Gordon didn't finish, but Batman nodded with a reply.

"Oh crap. This means a whole lot of paperwork," he sighed and turned to the Fire Crew, "Put this place out and send in the Search Team" he ordered, they nodded in response. When he turned back to Batman, he was gone. The only thing to prove he was there was the sight of the BatMobile disappearing into the distance. He turned back to see the Fire Crew extinguishing the fire. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm sorry Jonathan" he sighed.

**-New York, The next day-**

BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!

Eddie slammed his hand down on the alarm clock, causing it to cease its beeping. He groaned and looked at the clock, it read: 7:30AM. He dragged himself out of bed and put on some black jeans, red converses, a black and white striped v-neck and a navy zip-up hoodie. He grabbed his school bag and swung it over his shoulder, but before heading out of the door, he looked into the living room. His mom lay on the sofa, fast asleep, wearing the same clothes she had on yesterday. The coffee table was covered in bills, some red 'URGENT' whilst overs read 'FINAL NOTICE'. Eddie sihed and headed back inside his room. He returned with a blanket and used it to cover his mom. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and whispered to her.

"I'll see you when I get back Mom" he whispered before heading out the door.

**-Daybreak High School, Science Class-**

"So you see kids, the formula for Copper Arsenate is CuHAsO3" Mr. Andre explained whilst writing the formula on the chalkboard. The name of the compound caused a few laughs from the back of the class. Eddie just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"_Immature bastards,_" he thought to himself before copying the formula into his textbook. He raised his head when Mr. Andre turned to the class. He was Eddie's favourite science teacher; he was young with short brown hair and spectacles. And he wore always wore a white lab coat.

"Now, from the information gathered so far, can anybody tell me the formula for Copper Chlorate?" he asked. Every student in the class averted their gaze and shifted nervously in their seats until finally, Eddie raised his hand.

"Ah, well Eddie?" Mr. Andre asked. Eddie thought for a second, tapping his fingers on the desk. From behind, Doug Leaver, the school bully, sniggered with his two "henchmen", Donald Richards and Connor Hunt. Eddie narrowed his eyes at them and answered.

"Is it…Cu(ClO3)2.6H2O?" he suggested. The entire class went silent as he finished the string of letters and numbers in the formula. Mr. Andre raised his eyebrows in amazement.

"That's correct. Good work Mr. Strach" he congratulated. Eddie grinned; unfortunately this happiness ended when Doug shot a spitball at the back of his neck. Eddie wiped it off and continued with his work.

**-Lunch-**

Eddie usually sat at alone at lunch, mainly because hanging out with him would be social suicide. Eddie was 15 years old with straightened, black, emo hair, a skinny build and a face that could be described as 80% good looking and 20% meh…it's okay. As he made his way over to the table at the back of the cafeteria, Doug stuck his foot out from his table, causing Eddie to trip and land face first on the hard, porcelain floor. Laughter erupted from the cafeteria as the scene unfolded. Eddie held in his tears and glared at Doug who was receiving high-fives from Donald and Connor.

"Walk much, Dipshit?" he mocked, much to Eddie's annoyance.

He picked himself (and his sandwich) up off of the ground and continued walking. He sat down and began taking miniature bites out of his sandwich, almost like mice had been nibbling at it. He sighed.

"Well Eddie, look on the bright side: Your life can't get worse" he told himself.

**-Later-**

Eddie placed his key in the lock and opened the door.

"Mom, I'm home" he called out.

"Eddie? Could you come in the front room please?" his mother replied in a frail voice. Eddie raised his eyebrows and headed into the front room. He entered to see his mother sitting on the couch, her eyes red and puffy. Sitting opposite on a faded blue armchair was an elderly man with silver hair and spectacles. He wore a jacket with the letters 'G.C.P.D' embroided on the sleeves. He glanced up at Eddie.

"Who are you?" Eddie asked.

"Son, I'm Commissioner Gordon from the Gotham City Police Department" he replied. Eddie rose and eyebrow.

"Gotham? Batman's neighbourhood?" he asked. Gordon chuckled.

"Yep, but I'm afraid I've got some bad news. You might want to sit down," he explained. Eddie nodded in response and sat down next to him mother who gripped his hand tightly. Gordon focused on him.

"Son, are you aware of who your father is?" he asked. Eddie groaned in response, he had always hated the story of his father "the super criminal".

"Yeah, mom told a few years ago" he responded. Gordon nodded.

"Well son…" Gordon tried continuing, but was interrupted.

"My name's Eddie" Eddie noted. Gordon nodded.

"Right. Eddie…there's no easy way to say this. But…" Gordon paused as Eddie's eyes slowly widened.

"Your father died in a fire last night" Gordon finished grimly.

**A/N: Dun, dun, DUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNN! How evil am I? I bet you're all wondering how the Scarecrow came to have a kid. DON'T PANIC, it will ALL be explained in later chapters. As for now, so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye for now. **


	2. New Girl

**A/N: 'Sup guys? Just thought I'd update my story, this has to be one of my quickest updates EVA! That fact aside, the trailer for 'The Dark Knight Rises' looks EPIC, possibly the best trailer I've ever seen (and hopefully the best movie). BTW, something I should have mentioned about Eddie's last name. Type 'Strach' into 'Google Translate' and translate it from Polish to English. Tell me what it translates to in a review. Anyway, read on, I'll see you at the bottom of the page.**

Eddie lay on his bed, absentmindedly tossing a tennis ball in the air with one hand and then catching it in the other. Ever since Commissioner Gordon had informed him of his father's death, he'd asked for some time alone and stayed in his room. As of now, it had been one and half-hours. A sudden knocking on the door caused Eddie to drop the tennis ball. He shot up and looked towards the door.

"Eddie? It's Commissioner Gordon. May I come in?" a muffled voice asked from behind the door.

"Sure, it's open" Eddie responded before falling back onto the bed and continuing to toss the ball. Gordon edged in and sat at the end of Eddie's bed.

"Now look Eddie. This must be hard for you to lose a member of your family" Gordon explained, this caused Eddie to sit up and listen.

"A member of my family? He wasn't my family. The only reason I'm here is because him and my mom had a one-night-stand. After that, he ditched us, he wouldn't even know I was alive if mom hadn't told him when he came back to visit her. My mom's the only family I've ever had, nothing's changed" he exclaimed angrily. Gordon recoiled at this and sighed.

"Eddie, you should be lucky you have a mom to take care of you. Believe me, I know a man in my city that grew up without a family. And he's now one of the richest men in the city. If you want my advice, cherish your family son, even if one of them was a psychopath" Gordon joked, causing Eddie to snigger. Gordon glanced at his watch.

"Well, I better get going," he said. But as he was about to walk out the door, he turned back to Eddie.

"Oh, one more thing. I thought I'd give this to you," he said before reaching into his coat and producing a stuffed teddy bear. Eddie raised his eyebrows at this.

"We found it in your father's cell, no idea why he had it. But we thought you'd like it. You know, to remember him by" Gordon suggested. Eddie thought for a second and then nodded. Gordon grinned in response then tossed it to him. Eddie caught it with and "Oof". It was heavier than he anticipated.

"I'll see you later, son" he said before heading out of the room. Eddie looked at the toy and then placed it next to his bed.

"_Why would you have a bear, dad?_" Eddie thought to himself.

**- Gym Class, The Next Day -**

SMACK!

Eddie dropped to the polished floor, blood dripping from his nose. He watched from the 180-degree angle his head was on as the red, rubber ball bounced away. As he got up, he sneered at Doug as him and his friends laughed and congratulated his good aim. Immediately, Coach Aldrin headed over to Eddie to make sure he could stand.

"Are you okay Eddie?" he asked. Still dizzy, Eddie nodded. Aldrin looked over to Doug, Donald and Connor, he narrowed his eyes and turned back to Eddie.

"Eddie? If anything's going on that you want me to fix, just tell somebody okay? You want me to talk to them?" he asked. Eddie looked towards them then back at Aldrin, shaking his head.

"Are you sure?" Aldrin asked again.

"Nah. If I squeal, they'll just treat me worse" Eddie replied. Aldrin nodded sympathetically.

"I understand" he replied before blowing his whistle, confirming the end of the lesson period.

**- English -**

Eddie scrawled down the notes on 'Of Mice and Men' as the teacher, Mrs. Henderson read the story out loud.

"Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and-" she read before being interrupted by the door opening. Inside walked Principal Small, ironically a man of an average with a dark, tweed suit and black shoes. He hand neatly brushed hair and wore rimmed spectacles. He stood at the front of the class, his eyes scanning each person like the scope of a sniper rifle.

"Sorry Mrs. Henderson, do you mind I bring in the new student?" he asked.

"Oh yes. I was wondering when she would arrive. Send her in" she replied. He turned to the class.

"Now students, I'm sure some of you are glad I've stopped your lesson," he said whilst looking at Doug, "but I wish to introduce a new student. Now please give a warm welcome to Clea Hazelwood" he introduced. Eddie glanced up from his notes to look at her and stared. She had straightened, dark purple hair, green eyes and black lipstick. She wore a white tank top with a small, black leather jacket over the top, black jeans and a pair of black leather boots. In conclusion, Eddie thought she looked okay. He just shrugged her off and continued writing notes. As she made her way to her seat, Eddie heard two cheerleaders discussing her.

"She's such an emo" he heard one of them say. He just rolled his eyes at their prejudice remarks.

**Lunch –**

This time, Eddie made sure to go around Doug's table. Doug noticed this and took his chance.

"Chicken!" he called out. Of course, everybody laughed, enraging Eddie. He sighed out his anger and headed to his table. However, somebody was already sitting at his table. But the second he saw the purple hair, he knew who it was. He walked over to see Clea eating a plastic tub of pasta and reading a copy of Twilight. He went around the other side and sat down. She looked up at him and then turned back to her book. Since they would be eating together, Eddie decided to start a conversation.

"You know that book is racist towards REAL vampires, right?" he asked. She looked up at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Hey, for your information, he is a real vampire" she retaliated. He smirked and raised both his eyebrows.

"Are you kidding? Vampires don't sparkle in the sunlight, they burn to dust. I bet next you're going to say Frankenstein can tap-dance" he joked, causing Clea to chuckle slightly.

"You're funny. I'm Clea Hazelwood" she introduced, holding out her hand. Eddie grabbed it response and shook.

"Eddie Strach. Where did you come from?" he asked.

"Delaware. My dad has a job in advertising and when the company moved location, so did we. What's this school like anyway?" she asked.

"Well, it's okay when you get used to them dicks over there" he gestured towards Doug, Donald and Connor's table. Right now, they were sticking straws up their noses and impersonating walruses. Clea groaned and turned back to Eddie.

"Ugh, I had to sit next to that Doug guy for Social Studies" she groaned. Eddie took a bite out of his tuna sandwich and swallowed before continuing.

"Let me guess, your own personal hell?" he joked, causing Clea to chuckle again.

"Close enough. He kept leaning over me, trying to look down my tank top," she explained. Eddie raised his eyes at this.

"What a pervert" he suggested.

"Can you blame him?" she said, pointing towards her medium sized chest. He glanced for a second then shrugged as if to say "Yeah I guess so". She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms at this.

"Sure, he's the pervert" she said sarcastically. This conversation continued until the bell rang.

**- After school -**

Eddie always waited until the sea of children had gone, that way he didn't get trampled by the crowds. As soon as the crowd cleared, he started making his way out of the school. However once outside, he felt somebody push him to the ground from behind. He rolled over onto his back and looked up to see Doug, Donald and Connor laughing at him. Doug knelt down to eye level.

"You missed your appointment at lunch, numb nuts. I guess we'll have to give it to you now" he explained, laughing. Eddie instantly picked himself up off of the ground and looked on in fear as the three of them closed in around him.

"HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" came a voice from behind Doug. They all turned to see Clea heading towards them. She walked up to Doug and stared him hard in the face.

"He doesn't deserve this, he hasn't done anything to you. Leave him alone" she ordered. Doug just sniggered.

"Oh c'mon. I have my reasons. Don't blame me if his dad's dead" he chuckled. Silence filled the air, with the acceptance of the blowing wind, as everybody took in what he had said. Eddie seemed the most shocked.

"How did you…" he trailed off before Doug answered.

" Me and the boys headed over to your apartment. We were going to egg you door, but we listened in and heard everything. Your dad's seriously the Scarecrow? No wonder you're so messed up" he finished. Rage filled Eddie's soul as he charged towards Doug screaming. But Doug was to quick and hit Eddie square in the jaw. He dropped to the ground, a small splatter of blood staining the white, stone pavement. Clea covered her mouth and ran to his aid. She turned to Doug, flames flickering in her eyes.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE OR ELSE I'M CALLING THE COPS!" she threatened. They just laughed at this.

"Christ, you're both so fucking retarded" Doug joked as they walked away. Clea groaned and helped Eddie up off of the ground. He wiped the blood from his cheek and turned away from her.

"Eddie. Are you okay?" she asked. He just turned to her. A single tear was running down his cheek.

"Oh my god. Eddie…I…" she tried to speak to him, but he picked up his bag and ran for his life, he'd never been humiliated this badly. Clea sighed and watched as he disappeared into the distance.

**- Later -**

The door to Eddie's apartment flew open and he slammed the door shut. He dropped his bag to the floor and called out.

"MOM!" he called, hearing no reply, he headed into his room and screamed at the top of his voice. He kicked his door, he punched the wall and he jumped onto his bad and screamed into his pillow. He quickly glanced at the teddy bear that lay beside him then narrowed his eyes. He picked it up and glared at it.

"This is all your fault, dad" he whispered to himself before lobbing the bear at the wall.

THUMP!

Eddie raised his eyebrow, that was a big thump for a teddy bear. He looked to where it had landed to see that the bear's head had came off and a small brown package had fallen out of it. Confused, he picked it up and undid the string it was tied in. Once opened, he saw that it contained a folded piece of paper. Once unfolded, he realised it was a letter to him. It read:

Dear Edward

_This letter is of the up most importance and must not be shown to anybody._

_First, I want to apologize for not being there for you, I was on the run and couldn't stay long enough. When your mother told me she was pregnant, I was so happy. I'd always wanted a son. And although I can't apologize for what I did, there something I can give you. I want you to continue my legacy of crime and fear. Inside, you will find all you need._

_Love Dad_

Eddie felt the need to throw up. Why would he want him to continue his legacy? He looked inside the box to find a small vial attached to a necklace. Inside the vial was a glowing orange liquid and underneath the necklace was a piece of paper with a formula on it. Underneath the formula were the words: _Just in case you wish to make more. Use it on your enemies, you won't regret it. _Eddie took a deep breath and put everything back inside the box. He then placed the box and the bear underneath his bed and lay down. As he drifted off to sleep, he thought to himself.

"_I'll only continue your legacy when I find out what that stuff does,_"

**A/N: Hi guys. I told you I'd meet you here. To be truthful, it was a long walk. Anyway, pretty good so far, huh? But that's for you, the reviewer, to decide. Review and I will treasure it. As for now, cheerio. **


	3. Test Subjects

**A/N: Greeting my readers. First off, I'd like to say thanks to everybody who's been viewing my story so far, you guys are the reason I keep writing. Also, you (yes, you) should check out 'Chronophobia' by Duchess of Decorum, it's a good read (Duchess, if you're reading this, keep up to good work). Well, I need to run to the bottom of the page, I'll see you down there. **

Eddie stood gazing at the entrance of the school as every other student passed by, almost oblivious to his existence. He would of thought he was invisible if not for Doug passing him. As he did so, he flipped him off, grinning to himself. Eddie blew his hair up out of his eyes and began walking. But as he did so, he felt somebody grab him by the shoulder and spin him around.

Clea looked back at him, she wore a purple and black striped sweater, navy jeans that reached her knees and light blue converses with her school bag hung over her shoulder. Eddie felt awkward, not knowing what to say. Thankfully, she started the conversation.

"Eddie, I…" she began, but Eddie, finally knowing what to say, interrupted her.

"No. I understand. Look, I've been dealing with them bullies since first grade, I can handle them" Eddie reassured; but Clea still wasn't convinced.

"But what they did…why don't you tell somebody?" she asked. Eddie's gaze shifted to the ground, she could tell something was wrong. She reached out and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.

"Because…I did once," he answered. Clea looked surprised at this.

"Then why are they still doing this?" she asked. She noticed a tear roll down Eddie's cheek before he quickly wiped it away.

"It was a couple of years ago. Doug and his friends put a smoke bomb in my locker and I told Principal Small, the bullies got suspended for two weeks and were forced to choke out an apology. But…" he paused. Clea gave him a look of reassurance before he continued.

"Later that night, I woke up to the sounds of screaming. I went into the front room to see my mom putting out a fire near the door. The fire crew and police came by and said that somebody had soaked a rag in alcohol and shoved it under the door. I tried to tell the police it was them, but they had no solid evidence. That's why I can't tell anybody, cause I don't want something like that to happen again" he finished. Clea covered her mouth with her hands.

"I'm so sorry Eddie" she apologized. Eddie grinned.

"Thanks Clea" he replied before they both headed towards the school.

**- Lunch -**

Eddie and Clea sat in their same places as yesterday. Knowing High School, news travels fast. And news about their new friendship had spread throughout their grade. Students would often take glances at them and say stuff like:

"She must pity him or something"

"How did that freak get a girl like her?"

"She must be desperate to be with someone like him"

"I think it's sweet, two weirdoes I love"

You get what I mean. Every so often, they would laugh or he'd make her laugh. The conversation was going great until Doug called over to Eddie.

"Yo Asswipe. Get over here" he ordered. Eddie sighed and got up. But before he left, Clea stopped him.

"You're not seriously going over there, are you? She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If I don't go over there, they'll come over here," he responded before heading to Doug's table. His friends sniggered as he approached.

"What do you want, Doug?" he asked. Doug handed Eddie some money and gestured towards the lunch line.

"Go up and get our lunch," he ordered. Eddie raised his eyebrows.

"Are you kidding me? Why can't you get it?" he responded, earning a serious look from Doug.

"Me, Donald and Connor are planning our next football game manoeuvre and we need all the time we have. Now go get it" he explained, slightly irritated.

"And what if I say no?" Eddie asked. Doug narrowed his eyebrows evilly whilst Donald and Connor looked at Eddie with a shocked expression.

"I'll burn your girlfriend's house to the ground. Like I almost did with yours" Doug grinned. Eddie couldn't believe his ears. Doug just admitted what he did after two years of lying. Eddie just grumbled and headed over to the lunch line. He told the lunch lady his order and she gave him three bowls of soup. But before heading back over to them, Eddie reached inside his shirt collar and pulled out his father's necklace. Making sure nobody was looking, he opened the vial, poured three drops of the liquid into each of their soups and stirred it in.

"HEY!" Doug called from behind him. Thinking he'd been busted, Eddie quickly placed the necklace back under his shirt and turned to Doug.

"I'm dying of old age. Hurry up" he urged. Eddie let out a sigh of relief and headed over to them with the tray.

"Okay guys, soups on" he announced before heading away.

"Be quicker next time" Doug called after him. Eddie gritted his teeth and sat down in front of Clea.

"Ugh, I can't believe those guys" she said before sipping on her Diet Coke. Eddie nodded, yet not taking his eyes off Doug's table as they chowed down on their soup. Slurping it quickly like pigs.

"_Maybe the stuff's a laxative or something. Either way this better be good_" he thought to himself. Suddenly, over at Doug's table, Doug and stopped slurping and was staring at his hand. He started brushing it as if an insect was crawling on it. Soon, the brushing started heading up his arm and onto his shirt. He started to panic.

"Guys, what is going on? They're all over me. Get 'em, off!" he yelped. But Donald and Connor were having their own problems. Donald was lying on the floor screaming with his eyes closed and Connor was backing away from an invisible predator and begging it not to hurt him. Soon, everybody, even the teachers, became aware of what was happening. A look of horror was plastered on Clea's face as the scene unfolded.

"What's happening to them?" she asked. But Eddie was already heading over to them. He knelt down in front of Doug, who was still brushing away at himself on the floor.

"Doug, what's wrong with you?" Eddie asked, but Doug just stared at him in horror.

_- Doug's P.O.V -_

_Through Doug's point of view, Eddie's eyes had gone black with pure white pupils and insects were crawling all over his face and out of his eye sockets and mouth. _

"_This is what it's like for me you know," Eddie said, his voice deeper and more demonic. _

"_What do you mean?" Doug replied, tears creeping out of his eyes. _

"_What do you think I mean? Every day since First Grade, you've been making my life a living hell. Didn't you think for a second about how you made me feel? How much of my life you were ruining?" Eddie asked, his mouth forming into a yellow-toothed grin. Doug just gasped for air as Eddie glared at him. _

"_Eddie…I…I'm sorry…" Doug apologized. This caused Eddie's eyes to narrow._

"_That's it? THAT'S IT? You nearly burned my mom's apartment down you son of a bitch. And you think sorry will cut it?" Eddie screamed, flames burning at the back of his throat. Doug whimpered like a puppy. _

"_I…I…" he was speechless. There was no way to get out of this one. Eddie's rotting teeth formed into a grin as he edged closer to Doug. _

"_No, please. Stay away from me!" Doug screamed as Eddie's mouth opened and covered him, leaving him in the dark. _

- Reality -

Eddie watched as Doug lay still on the ground. The School-Nurse pushed past him and checked him for a pulse. She gasped and called to one of the teachers.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" she called. Eddie got up off his knees and ran out of cafeteria and out of the school as fast as he could.

**- Central Park -**

The weather depicted Eddie's emotions as he ran through the park, the rain pouring down and the thunder crashing. He ran to an underpass and sat down, leaning back against the wall. He pulled his knees to his chest and began sobbing uncontrollably. He hadn't cried this much since Doug stole his…Doug. The one name he never wanted to hear again. Whatever that stuff was, it could have killed Doug and his friends. He heard footsteps and looked up as a figure in a leather jacket headed over to him.

"Are you okay?" a familiar voice said. Eddie looked up at her with puffy red eyes.

"Clea?" he asked. She nodded and sat down beside him. She rubbed his back comfortingly as he buried his face in his knees.

"Eddie, what happened?" she asked. Eddie looked at her, her hair now clinging to her forehead from the rain.

"I…I don't know" he lied. If he told her what he did to their food, she would have thought he was freak. Just like everybody else did.

"Eddie. It's okay," she said. Eddie just looked into her eyes.

"Okay? I watched as the guy who's been ruining my life for years suffered a heart attack. Everybody's now going to think I did something to them. Nobody will ever talk to me again" he sighed. Clea entwined her fingers with his making him look at her.

"I will" she replied. There was a silence between the two of them before they slowly moved their faces towards each other. Until finally, their lips locked just as the thunder cracked. The kiss lasted a few seconds before they finally parted, still gazing into each others eyes. Clea smiled, followed by Eddie. They both got up off the ground and laughed awkwardly.

"Well, I better be getting home" Clea said.

"Do you need me to walk you home?" Eddie asked kindly.

"Don't worry, I'll make it myself" she reassured before pecking him on the cheek and heading back into the rain. Eddie made sure she was out of hearing range before leaping in the air and doing a fist-pump.

"Somehow, my life happiness has gone up 20%" he joked before heading out into the rain himself.

**A/N: I know. I'm a genius. What will happen next? Will Eddie continue his father's legacy? Will he tell Clea what he did? Why am I asking you these questions? Laters.**


	4. Realisation

**A/N: Hey guys, gals and pets at home who have the ability to use the computer whilst your owners are out of the house (That's right, I know). Anyways, I hope you guys are feelin' fine and slaying dragons. BTW there is something about this chapter I think you should know, I will change the third person writing to make it look like a movie script because I've got a montage scene. Anyway, see ya.**

**- Wayne Manor -**

Bruce Wayne sat in his armchair as the news flickered on the TV in front of him. For two days, Gotham City News had been showing stories about Scarecrow's death, causing Bruce's guilt to rise even higher.

"_As of now, the search is still underway to find Dr. Crane's body, or what's left of it, from underneath all this rubble. This is Heather Jenkins for Gotham City News, back to you Ted," _the news reporter announced as fire-fighters walked in and out of the still smouldering building. The scene suddenly changed to show newsreader Derek Marsh sitting in the studio.

"_Thank you Heather. Still on the concept of fear, three teenage boys from a high school in New York suffered panic attacks all at the same time" _he announced, causing Bruce's eyes to widen.

"_One of the students was able to capture the moment on film using his cell phone. Roll the clip" _Derek asked, seconds before the clip started to play. Bruce's mouth hung open as the scene unfolded. He watched as the boys suffered different panic attacks before a separate teenage boy with black hair knelt down in front of one of them. The boy he knelt in front of, responded by quickly edging away from him, right before passing out on the ground. The clip suddenly ended, once again showing Derek sitting in the studio. Bruce noticed something vaguely familiar about those panic attacks.

"Those weren't ordinary panic attacks. I've seen them somewhere before" he said to himself. He quickly looked back at the TV.

"_The boys were quickly brought to New York Downtown Hospital and are on the road to recovery,"_ Derek announced again. Bruce got up out of his chair and headed towards his office, he pulled back the painting on his office wall and pressed the button underneath. Behind him, a secret panel opened, revealing the elevator to the BatCave. He stepped inside and the elevator headed downwards, the panel closing soon after. Once at the bottom, he emerged wearing his Batman armour and headed to the vehicle bay. Alfred stood near the BatComputer, dusting away before turning to face Batman.

"Is there a problem sir? Alfred asked in his posh accent. Batman pressed his thumb against the panel, causing 'Access Approved' to appear in bright green letters. The door opened and Batman climbed into the BatWing. He turned to Alfred before closing the hatch.

"I'm heading to New York. Keep the place clean whilst I'm gone. Remember what to do if anybody tries to break in?" he asked.

"I am well aware of where the Musket is, sir" Alfred responded, getting a smile from Batman. He closed the hatch and the engines roared into life.

**- New York -**

Eddie ran as the rain continued pouring down. He turned a corner and headed down an alleyway. But as he arrived at the over end, he got that well known feeling in his bladder. He sighed; the rain wasn't making it any better.

"There has to be a bathroom around here somewhere," he said to himself. He scanned the rainy street until he saw a small coffee place on the corner. He ran inside, there was nobody there except an African-American woman behind the counter with a nametag that read: Jessica. She gave him a quizzical look as he entered. He put on an embarrassed grin.

"Hi. Um…can I use your bathroom?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow at this.

"Can you read, kid?" she responded before pointing her thumb at a sign behind her. It read: BATHROOM IS FOR PAYING CUSTOMERS ONLY. Eddie groaned as his bladder became tighter.

"Can I use the bathroom, then buy something?" he begged. She thought about it for a second, and then she smiled.

"Fine. But be quick" she warned. Immediately, he ran for the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. A couple of minutes later, he emerged with a look of relaxation on his face. He headed over to the counter and sat at one of the stools. Jessica headed over to him.

"What'll it be, kid?" she asked. He looked up at her.

"A black coffee, please?" he ordered. She nodded and headed over to the coffee machine. She returned a few seconds later with his coffee. He let out a sigh. She noticed this and put on a sympathetic face.

"What's up, honey? You look bummed out" she commented. He looked up at her and let out another sigh.

"I've just had a bad day, Jessica" he replied. She poured herself a cup of coffee and leaned on the counter in front of him

"Don't worry about it, kid. We all have bad days," she said, comfortingly. He let out a small laugh.

"You have no idea what mine was like. Mine was much worse," he said. Jessica looked puzzled.

"How worse?" she asked. Eddie scanned his brain for a good explanation. He couldn't just say: _I put something in these guys' drinks that made them have panic attacks. _After a few seconds he answered.

"Jessica, if you had the ability to make people pay for the bad things they've done, but it made them suffer much worse than you expected, what would you do?" he asked. Jessica had a look of bewilderment plastered in her face. Yet she still responded.

"Well, if I could do that, I'd do whatever it took to make them pay for the things they've done, especially if they tried to hurt my family. I've got a little girl back home, sweetest thing I ever laid my eyes on, but even though I'm in a tough place, I still treasure every moment I spend with her" she said.

"Tough place? What's wrong?" Eddie asked sympathetically.

"Well, me and my husband are having trouble making ends meet. I'm barely earning a living here and he's making scraps at a tollbooth. We're trying our best to make her childhood worth living, but we're going to have to stop sometime" she sighed. Eddie looked at his reflection his coffee, he realised that other people were having tougher times than him. He looked back up at Jessica.

"So…you'd do what's right?" he asked. She nodded. Eddie smiled and chugged down the rest of his coffee. He wiped is mouth with his sleeve and got up out of his stool.

"Thanks Jessica" he said before heading towards the door. But before exiting, he turned back to Jessica.

"By the way, how much was the coffee?" he asked. She smiled.

"You know what, it's on the house. You seem like a nice kid. I'll see you around" she responded. He smiled, but before he left, she called him back.

"What's your name kid?" she asked.

"Um…Eddie," he replied.

"Well Eddie, good luck with whatever it is you're doing" she said before heading back into the kitchen. Eddie chuckled and headed back out into the rain.

**- New York City Downtown Hospital -**

Commissioner Gordon headed through the hospital doors and walked up the receptionist.

"I'm looking for the three boys who were brought in today," he said, holding up his badge. The Nurse nodded and started typing on the computer.

"They're in Room 23" she responded. Gordon nodded and headed for the elevator. He opened the door to Room 23 and headed inside to see three teenage boys cowering in their beds.

"I take it you got my message?" a deep voice came from the corner, making Gordon jump. He turned to see the Caped Crusader standing in the shadows.

"Yep. I saw the News Report. You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked. Batman nodded.

"Fear Toxin. But there's only one way of knowing for sure" he said. Gordon looked at him.

"What way?" he asked. Batman reached inside his Utility Belt and produced three vials, each containing a red liquid.

"They the kids blood samples?" Gordon asked. Batman nodded once again.

"I…borrowed a sample from the lab. I'll have to scan each dose so I can guarantee the toxin's effects" he said before heading to the window. He opened it, but before climbing out, he turned to Gordon.

"If Scarecrow's still spreading fear…then we could be in some serious trouble," he said before jumping out of the window.

**- The BatCave -**

Batman looked at the BatComputer's screen as the computer scanned the blood, numbers and strings of DNA flashed by as the data was recorded. Alfred arrived a few seconds later.

"Do you believe that Dr. Crane is spreading fear from beyond the grave, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked. Batman however, did not take his eyes off the screen.

"I don't believe in ghosts anymore, Alfred. Just the monsters that lurk in the city streets. Hold on a second" he said as the string of DNA from each of the blood sample converged on each other and the words: 'EXACT MATCH' appeared on the screen.

"I knew it. Each of the blood samples is laced with the fear toxin. But how can Crane still be doing this? I saw him die with my own eyes" Batman pondered. Alfred rubbed his chin, before turning to Batman.

"Master Bruce. What does a king do when he dies?" he asked. Batman looked puzzled.

"What are you insinuating, Alfred?" Batman asked.

"Just answer the question" Alfred replied. Batman thought for a second.

"Well, the title would be passed on to…the king next in line" Batman's eyes widened. If it were a snake, it would have bitten him. He looked at Alfred and smiled.

"Alfred. You never cease to amaze me. But wait…I don't know where to start looking in New York" Batman said. He then raised his head and turned to Alfred.

"Alfred? If you were facing a person who used fear as a weapon, who would you ask to help you?" he asked, sounding like the Riddler.

"I would find a man without fear, sir" Alfred responded. Batman headed over to the BatWing and hopped inside once again.

"I'm going back to New York" Batman told Alfred.

"What for, sir?" Alfred asked. Batman turned to him before closing the hatch.

"There's only one person in New York who has no fear. You may call him a Guardian Devil" Batman said before the hatch closed.

**- Broadway Fashion Studios, the next day -**

Eddie headed through the glass doors of the studios and made his way past all the designers as the placed different articles of clothing on the models. He scanned the crowd and grinned as he noticed the guy he was looking for. Danny and Eddie were best friends; he was two years older than Eddie and had left school before him. The main thing Eddie knew about Danny was that he was gay. After he left school, he'd gotten a job in fashion at the studios. Every now and then, Eddie would need a suit or a costume and Danny could get it for him. Danny was busy sketching out dress designs, his straightened ginger hair hung in front of his eyes. When Eddie tapped him on the shoulder, he turned and a grin appeared on his face.

"Hey buddy. You still straight?" he asked as he gave him a hug. Eddie sighed.

"Sorry to disappoint you, pal" he responded. Danny raised his eyebrows.

"Too bad. So, what's my favourite customer in need of today?" Danny asked. Eddie smirked; he'd been planning the excuse all night.

"I need you to make me a costume. This guy at school's throwing a costume themed party for his birthday" he lied. Danny nodded contently.

"Okay. So, what do you need the costume to look like?" he asked. Eddie reached into his pocket and produced a folded piece of paper. Danny unfolded it and raised his eyebrows.

"I'm going as a superhero I designed myself. I need it done soon, do you think you can do it?" Eddie asked. Danny grinned.

"Don't worry. It should be done in two days to…Kevlar? You want me to make a bullet proof vest to go underneath?" he asked confusingly. Eddie bit his lip.

"Umm…I want it to look realistic. Is that okay?" he asked.

"Sure whatever. If you come back in two days, it'll be done by then" Danny explained. Eddie grinned in response.

_- Switch to montage -_

(Music playing in background: Avenged Sevenfold - Bat Country)

-Scene of Eddie "borrowing" some syringes from the school nurse's locker -

-Scene changes to Danny measuring and cutting out leather into a certain shape -

-Scene changes to Eddie in woodshop, melting and welding metal into the shape of a glove -

-Scene changes to Danny sowing the leather into the shape of a trenchcoat –

-Scene changes to Eddie in his science lab, adding different chemicals to a test tube, every so often, glancing at the piece of paper with the fear toxin formula written on it-

-Scene changes to Danny constructing a pair of Leather, studded boots-

-Scene changes to Eddie adding the final component needed for the fear toxin. He smiles and says: It's finished. A few seconds later, his phone rings. He answers it to hear Danny say: It's finished. Eddie grins-

_End montage -_

Eddie admired the costume which the mannequin wore, it wasn't how he'd pictured it at all, it was better. Danny put his arm around his shoulder and grinned eagerly.

"Well, do you like it?" he asked. Eddie nodded.

"It's perfect. The vest is made of real Kevlar, right?" he asked in return.

"Completely bulletproof. Can't be any more realistic" Danny replied. Eddie chuckled.

"_This is going to be awesome_" he thought to himself.

**A/N: Hey guys, in the next chapter, you will see Eddie take on his alter-ego. As for now, I hope you review and as soon as the next chapter is complete, I will post a picture on TwitPic showing you what his costume looks like. Just click on my profile and I will leave you a link. Laters. **


	5. Rise of the Phobia

**A/N: Hey guys. First up, I've added a link to show you what Eddie's costume looks like. Just go to my profile and copy the gibberish into the search bar. In other news, this story's got almost 300 views thanks to you guys. If you comment on this chapter, even if you've never commented before, I'll mention each and every one of you at the end of my story, you guys are awesome. See you at the bottom. **

**- Hell's Kitchen, New York -**

(Music begins: Fuel – Won't Back Down)

The stars sparkled in the sky above the glowing metropolis of New York as Batman stood on the edge of the apartment building's roof. The lights of cars and the silhouettes of passers-by moved far below, all unaware of the Caped Crusader watching from high up. A small and silent thud caused Batman's head to turn.

"_I'm not alone_" he thought to himself. He turned and scanned the shadows for a slight hint of movement. Suddenly, a silhouette dropped down from a separate rooftop, landing across from him. Batman couldn't see who it was, but they reached into a holster on their belt and took out a pair on nun-chucks. The figure began to charge towards Batman whilst he did the same. In the end, Batman used his wrist gauntlets to parry the blow and ducked to avoid the second swing. Batman did a sweep kick, but the figure back-flipped, narrowly dodging Batman's leg. The figure combined both nun-chucks, causing two silver blades to pop out of each end, almost like a pickaxe. The figure took another swing but Batman ducked to avoid it. When Batman stood back up, he knocked the pickaxe out of the figure's hand, causing it to slide across the roof. The figure charged after it, Batman following close behind.

The figure continued running as he picked up the pickaxe and did a running-back flip off of the wall in front of him. He landed on Batman shoulders and leaned backwards, pulling Batman to the ground. But Batman countered the move and did a backwards roll; leaving the figure sprawled out on the ground. The figure instantly got back up and raised hit pickaxe to parry Batman oncoming blow. Eventually, Batman grabbed the pickaxe and pulled it between them leaving them face-to-face, also allowing Batman to see the figure in better light. Once he saw the crimson leather body armour, the mirrored eyes and the double-d insignia on the left breast pocket, he realised who it was.

(Music ends)

"You Daredevil?" Batman asked.

"Yeah, you Batman?" he asked in response. Batman nodded and released his grip on his pickaxe, allowing Daredevil to separate each end and return them to his holster.

"Sorry about the beating. I just wanted to make sure you were the real deal. You never know who could be impersonating a superhero," he explained. Batman nodded.

"Understandable" he responded.

"How'd you find me anyway?" Daredevil asked.

"I did some research and saw that most of your sightings were in this area. I thought I'd find you if I waited long enough" Batman responded. Daredevil chuckled.

"So, what'd you need me for?" he asked. Batman pulled a file out from under his cape and handed it to Daredevil. He opened it and gently tapped the papers with his thumb. This allowed his radar sense to see a prison photo of a person wearing a sack mask, a tattered hood and metal gloves with needles attached to the ends. Daredevil grimaced at the sight of the photo.

"Who is this guy? He looks like he walked out of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'" he asked.

"His name's Jonathan Crane. He worked at Gotham University before firing a gun off in the classroom, accidentally wounding a student. He later killed the Professors responsible for his termination" Batman explained. Daredevil nodded intriguingly.

"So, what happened?" he asked, still confused.

"Four days ago, he died inside a burning apartment building. I watched him die right in front of me. Did you hear about those teenagers who suffered panic attacks?" he asked in return.

"Of course. They were all I heard about. You think Crane's doing this?" Daredevil pondered.

"Crane specialized in using a Toxin which caused increased amounts of fear on his victims. Each of their blood samples contained traces of the same toxin. Somebody's continuing Crane's work here in New York and we need to stop it. I figured a man without fear could be most useful," Batman explained. Daredevil nodded.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked.

"I need you to scout the city, try to find anything which could give us a lead to who's doing this. I'll be hiding in a safehouse near the docks, meet me there if you ever find anything" Batman explained. Daredevil nodded.

"Fine. But…there is one matter I need to settle" Daredevil mentioned. Batman gave him a serious look.

"What matter?" he asked.

"I'm going to need to know who I'm working for. I'm going to need more than just your superhero name" Daredevil explained, causing Batman's eyes to widen.

"You want me to tell you me secret identity?" he asked.

"I'll do the same to level the playing field," Daredevil offered. Batman considered this, before finally nodding.

"Fine" he said before pulling back his mask. Daredevil instantly did the same; Batman raised his eyebrows at the sight of the middle-aged man with blue, glazed eyes.

"You're blind?" he asked, confusingly.

"It happened when I was a kid. I got sprayed in the eyes by toxic waste, but although it took my sight, it gave me a sort of radar sense. It helps me in combat and allows me to get across the city quicker" Daredevil explained. Bruce nodded.

"But wait, if you're blind, how come you could see what Crane looked like?" he asked.

"When I tapped the file, my radar sense let me see than page. Satisfied Mr. Wayne?" Daredevil asked in return, causing Bruce's eyes to widen.

"How did you-" he began before Daredevil cut him off.

"Don't worry. You're secrets safe with me as long as mine's safe with you" he explained. Bruce grinned.

"Deal" he replied before placing his mask back on, Daredevil followed suite. Suddenly, a look of confusion spread on his face. Batman noticed this.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I hear something" Daredevil replied.

"What is it?" Batman asked again. Through Daredevil's heightened sense of hearing, all he could hear were the sounds of screaming and an evil chuckle.

"Trouble" he replied.

**- A few blocks away -**

Tears streamed down Susie's face as she tried crawling away from her attacker, yet he was too strong and dragged her back to her feet. He pushed her against the wall and repeatedly punched her in the face.

"Don't ever try to crawl away from me. Got it?" he ordered. She just continued sobbing.

"GOT IT?" he yelled. This time, she nodded hazily. He grinned creepily as he gazed at her chest, Susie could already tell what he was thinking of.

"No…please…don't…" she said through heavy breaths. But he ignored her pleas and began to unbutton her shirt. She tried to push him off, but he was too strong for her. He began to hungrily kiss her neck as he undid the last button on her top. She knew she was trapped and nobody could save her. She was finished.

"HEY!" a muffled voice echoed off the walls of the alleyway. The attacker scanned the alleyway until his eyes stopped on a silhouette standing on a fire escape platform attached to an apartment building.

"What do you want?" the attacker ordered whilst Susie watched, tears brimming in her eyes. The figure dropped down into the alleyway, allowing the attacker to see who he was. He wore a black leather trenchcoat with a hood, a black plastic gas mask, a bulletproof vest, dark denim jeans and black leather boots. The attacker just laughed at him, still not loosening his grip on Susie.

"What's with the getup? Going to a costume party or somethin'?" he asked. But the figure still stood tall.

"I'm giving you a chance. Leave now or else" he intimidated.

"Heh, or else what?" he asked as he started heading towards the figure, dragging Susie along by the scruff of her neck. The figure raised his hands, showing the metal, needle tipped gloves, which housed a glowing, orange liquid. The attacker instantly dropped Susie and drew a switchblade from his jeans. He went to stab the figure, but he grabbed the attacker's arm and plunged his needles into the attackers bloodstream, sending the orange liquid into his veins. The attacker screamed in pain as his world went white.

_- In the Dreamscape -_

_As the attacker opened his eyes, he became aware of the strange, swirling vortex that replaced the sky, the unknown pieces of debris slowly getting sucked into oblivion. He sat up to view his surroundings. He was in the middle of a graveyard, the grass was brown and unwelcoming, all the leaves had fallen off of the trees and the gravestones were covered in grime and moss. He slowly stood up to get a better view, but the further he looked into the distance; he saw that the graveyard never ended, just graves as far as the eye could see. _

"_Hello?" he called into the distance. No reply._

"_Anybody?" he called again. Still no reply._

_"WHERE THE HELL AM I?" he screamed for a final time. But this wasn't the reply he was expecting. The grass in front of one of the tombstones was beginning to move, almost as if somebody was beneath it. Suddenly, an arm burst forth from the soil, causing the attacker to fall to the ground. Slowly, a female figure in a white, tattered dress climbed out of the grave. The attacker recognized her instantly._

"_You…you're that girl from the alley? What happened? Where the hell are we?" he ordered. But Susie just stood there, her face covered with dirt and mud, tears streaming out if her eyes. After the attacker got up off of the ground, she began to speak. _

"_Why?" she sobbed. The attacker just stood there, speechless._

"_Why, what?" he replied. _

"_Why did you do that to me?" she sobbed again. _

"_Well…I…" he tried to find a good excuse. But as he did so, a second female dragged herself out of the grave behind him. He turned, he also recognised her. _

"_Wait…you're that girl I banged a week ago" he said. She wore a school uniform and also had tears in her eyes. _

"_I was only fifteen. I was just walking home from school, then you came out of an alleyway and you…" her stifled sobs cut her off. _

"_Look…I'm sorry" The attacker tried to apologize, but more and more women were coming out of the graves. Each of them were crying too. Susie stood forward, as if she was representing them. _

"_Then why did you do it?" she asked, a hint of anger in her voice. The attacker watched in shock as each of the girl's skin began to rot and melt away, until they looked like zombie, their eyes turned a bright orange colour. _

"_And now, you're going to pay for what you did to us" she finished, her voice now deep and demonic. The attacker screamed and began to run away, the girls followed after him. As he ran, rain began to pour down; he turned back to the horde of women chasing him, anger and rage flickering in their eyes. As he turned back, a hint of hope filled his heart. In the distance, was a small church; he could've sworn it wasn't there before. He ran towards it, knowing the women would catch him at some point. When he reached the door, he banged his fist against the rotting wood, glancing back at the approaching mob._

"_Please! Somebody help me!" he called, the women were just metres from him. _

"_PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" he pleaded. Suddenly, the doors flew open, sending the attacker back onto the grass. He turned back to notice the girls had disappeared. His moment of relief passed as he noticed who walked out of the church doors. It was the guy in the costume, except bright orange light now shone out of the gas mask's visors. He slowly walked towards the attacker as he quivered on the ground. _

"_Please. Have mercy?" he begged. The guy in the costume just knelt down and raised his left glove above his head._

"_You never did" he replied coldly as he thrust his needles into the earth, sending veins of orange over the ground the attacker lay on. The ground beneath him began to rumble, until suddenly it all caved inwards. The attacker reached out and grabbed the edge of the hole. He looked down to see a vortex similar to the one in the sky. He looked back up to see the guy in the costume kneeling down near the edge of the pit, glaring at him._

"_Please…don't kill me," the attacker begged, tears now forming in his eyes. The guy in the costume cackled._

"_You idiot. None of this is real; you'll wake up in about 5 hours. And unless you want this to happen again, tell everybody you know about me and what I do to punks like you" he ordered, his gloves hovering over the hand which was holding on to the edge. _

"_Who…who are you?" the attacker choked out. _

"_I'm Phobia," he said as his needles sunk into the attackers hand, forcing him to release his grip on the edge and sending him into the vortex below._

- In reality -

Susie watched in horror as the attacker lay twitching on the floor. Ashe finished buttoning up her shirt; Phobia headed over to her and rested a gloved hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

"Thank…thank you," she whispered as the sound of police sirens filled the air. Phobia leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

"Listen…when you tell the police about me, make sure you tell them that I'm just trying to help. Okay?" he asked. Susie nodded and he headed for a manhole cover. He removed the lid, climbed inside and replaced the lid above him just as the police cars pulled up at each end of the alleyway. Meanwhile, from the rooftops, Batman and Daredevil looked down at the scene with wide eyes. Daredevil gave Batman a concerned look.

"Does this count as strange?" he asked.

**A/N: Hey guys and girl guys. Sorry for the long update, school, homework, parties, etc, more etc. Anyway, I'll be updating soon, so don't wait too long, 'kay?**

**Laters guys, RnR.**


	6. Fight

**A/N: Good Morning/Afternoon readers, due to the hits you've given this story, I've finally reached the 300 hits mark. Thanks guys, if you tell you spread the word about this story around FanFiction, you guys might just get me up to that sweet 500 hits mark. You guys are so awesome, I wrote you this quick song (Imagine it in style of the Addams Family):**

**You gave me hits and reviews**

**For this I wanna thank you**

**I just wanna say that you guys**

**Are the best in history**

**(Ba-da-da-dum)**

**Well, I'll see you at the bottom.**

**-Later that night -**

Daredevil slowly slid open the window and climbed inside the abandoned apartment. He headed across the floor of what was once a living room; towards Batman who sat typing away at a smaller scale BatComputer attached to the back wall of the room. He ceased typing and turned to face Daredevil.

"Did you get the samples?" Batman asked. Daredevil responded by placing a crimson vial in Batman's hand.

"Good work" Batman commented, placing the blood onto a small scanner device attached to the computer. Daredevil headed over to the battered sofa, removed his mask and sat down. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he turned back to Batman; still typing away like there was no tomorrow.

"Do you ever take a break?" Daredevil asked, causing Batman to face him.

"Not when there's still work to be done" he responded, Daredevil chuckled in response.

"So, anything new on the Scarecrow Case?" he asked again.

"I might've found something. If Crane was planning this, he would've told somebody. Like a friend or acquaintance, just in case things didn't go to plan. That way, if the plan went awry, somebody could keep it going" Batman explained. Daredevil raised his eyebrows and headed back over to the BatComputer.

"Any idea who it could be?" he asked.

"I've been looking through the Arkham Security Tapes and found a few things that might be useful" Batman responded just as a piece of video footage began to play on the screen. The date stamp read 19/6/12.

"This clip was recorded weeks ago" Daredevil mentioned.

"They go back further than that. I've got footage of Arkham from years ago. If we watch Crane's every move, we may be able to find who he trusted the most" Batman explained.

"Wait…when you went to school, where was the one place you could sit with friends and talk about whatever you wanted?" Daredevil asked. Batman pondered this before turning back to him with wide eyes.

"The Cafeteria" he said, before bringing up a video file of a small brick room containing rows of tables, each table having many prisoners, even some of Batman's foes, sitting at it. But at the back of the cafeteria, alone on one of the far tables, was Scarecrow.

"I used to sit alone in the cafeteria. I mean, who'd want to hang out with the weird, blind kid?" Daredevil joked. Batman ignored it and began to fast-forward through the video footage until he came across a scene of Harley Quinn giving Crane a wave, which he responded to with a small shake of the hand. Batman paused the footage at that point.

"Maybe it's that Quinn chick" Daredevil suggested. Batman shook his head.

"Not a chance, Quinn may be a criminal, but she isn't smart enough to pull off something like this" he commented before playing the footage again. He fast-forwarded to a scene where Joker came over and began saying something to him. This however caused Crane to ram his fist into Joker's face whilst he laughed hysterically. Instantly, every other inmate began silently chanting "Fight, Fight, Fight". Harley however tried pulling Scarecrow off of Joker, she proved successful when more guards came in to help. Batman once again paused the tape.

"Well, that rules Joker off the last" Batman observed. Daredevil raised an eyebrow.

"Well done Sherlock" Dardevil mocked. Batman just rolled his eyes and continued playing the footage again. After a lot of fast-forwarding, Batman came to a scene showing Scarecrow talking to a figure wearing a half-orange and half-black prisoner uniform. The left half of his face was burned a horrible crimson colour with charred, white hair. Batman paused the clip once more.

"Two-face. He's our best option. The BatComputer should have analysed the samples by the time we get back" Batman explained.

"Could I have a ride?" Dardevil asked, placing his mask back on.

**- The Next Day -**

Clea headed over to the lunch table her and Eddie usually sat at. Only this time when she arrived, Eddie was fast asleep on the table, resting his head on a text book. She tilted her head and nudged him on the shoulder. He instantly shot up and rubbed his eyes.

"Rough night?" Clea asked. Eddie shrugged.

"You could say that" he responded. She smiled and sat opposite him.

"Did you see today's news?" she asked, producing a newspaper from her schoolbag and placing it in front of Eddie. The main headline read: PHOBIA. NEW VIGILANTE TAKES TO THE STREETS. Eddie nodded with a grin.

"_I save one person and I'm already making the headlines_" he thought to himself.

"He saved this girl from a rapist last night. He apparently got the crap scared out of him" Clea explained.

"Must be like a superhero or something" Eddie commented, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"Wow, our first superhero" Clea replied, making Eddie raise an eyebrow.

"What about that Daredevil guy?" he asked.

"Meh, you don't really see him much anymore" Clea replied. Eddie shrugged as if to say "_Fair point_".

**- Later -**

A sea of yawning students flooded the hallways as Eddie and Clea made their way out of their Math lesson.

"They should try renaming that class 'Nap-Time'" Eddie joked, making Clea chuckle.

"Either that or…oh crap" she responded, gesturing down the hallway. Students were hastily clearing a path for Doug and his friends as they made their way towards Eddie, their skins now a slightly paler colour than before. Eddie knew this wouldn't end well as Doug stopped right in front of him.

"You put me in hospital you son of a bitch" he said through gritted teeth, shoving Eddie up against a locker. Instantly, every student in the hallway turned to get a better view of the face-off.

"What did you do to our food?" Doug asked again. Eddie just raised his hands in self-defence.

"Look Doug, just calm down-"Eddie tried negotiating, but got cut off by Doug.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" Doug yelled, hitting Eddie in the jaw and making the crowd of students cringe. Eddie raised his head again, rubbing the red mark on the side of his face. Doug's friends just stood smirking, but their smiles faded as Clea intervened.

"Can't you just leave him alone? He did nothing to your food you jerk. He's been putting up with your crap all his life and you don't ever get your comeuppance. And he's not the only one, everybody else in this school's had their fair share of your wrath and we just want you to think about somebody else but yourse-"

_CRACK!_

The crowd went silent as Clea smacked her head against the lockers behind her and slumped to the floor. Eddie's mouth hung open as he stared at Doug, a look of anger plastered on his face. However, Connor and Douglas were just as shocked as the rest of the crowd. Doug just watched the crowd, a look of both anger and confusion on face.

"What? You all agree with her? She's just one person, you all really think I care how you feel? I am the king of this school, I RULE ALL OF YOU! AND THERE'S NOTHING ANY OF YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE THA-"

_SMACK!_

Doug staggered as Eddie rubbed his sore fist. Doug narrowed his eyes at Eddie as he spat blood onto the ground in front of him. But it didn't matter how long he stared, Eddie stood firm.

"You can mess with me, but nobody messes with my friends. If you want to fight somebody…" Eddie stated as he let his bag drop to the ground and maintained a fighting stance.

"…fight me" he finished.

(Music playing in background: Lykke Li - Get Some)

Doug got up off of the ground and began to crack his knuckles; Connor came up behind him and nudged his arm.

"C'mon dude, he's not worth it" he tried to explain, but Doug just glared at him.

"He's like a dog, if you let him crap wherever he wants and don't rub his nose in it, he'll never learn. So stand back and watch as I rub his nose into the concrete" he responded. Connor and Douglas sighed and stood back. Doug began by charging at Eddie and hitting him in the jaw again, Eddie was able to dodge the second swing and hit Doug in the same place. He responded by kicking Eddie in the chest, sending him back into the pale, green lockers, leaving a giant dent in one of the doors. Doug once again came charging at Eddie, screaming at the top of his voice and elbowed him in the ribs. The crowd gasped as Eddie gasped out in agony. Doug lifted Eddie by his neck until he almost left the ground. Blood trickled out of the side of Doug's mouth as his lips formed and evil grin with gritted teeth.

(Music ends)

"As soon as I'm done with you, I'm gonna to finish off your girlfriend" he whispered evilly. Eddie looked over at Clea as she lay sobbing on the ground, blood trickling from where she'd hit her head. She looked up at Eddie, only able to whisper his name. At that moment, anger flooded Eddie's soul, his eyes narrowed; flames flickered in the back of his mind. And as Doug took a swing at his face, he grabbed his fist, holding it inches away from his nose. Everybody, even Doug, gasped in amazement as Eddie slowly moved the fist away, causing Doug to release his grip. As Eddie touched the floor, Doug began to call out in pain as Eddie's grip became stronger, forcing him to his knees. Students watched as the once "King of the School" began to cry, Doug looked up at Eddie, his teeth were gritted, blood was coming out of his nose, his eyebrows were narrowed and he was breathing heavily.

"Please, let me go" Doug begged, tears forming in his eyes.

"You think you can still come out on top when you're already at the bottom? Well here's a newsflash. No matter how hard you avoid getting caught; you'll pay for what you've done to all of us. And if I don't get the message through to you, somebody else will" Eddie growled, almost demonically. Doug looked on in fear as he said this, right before Eddie dropkicked him in the face with his black, leather, high-tops. Doug went flying backwards onto the porcelain floor, clutching his hand. Automatically, the crowd of students cheered and began chanting Eddie's name, making him smile.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" a voice boomed from the back of the crowd. Everybody went silent as Principal Small walked through the crowd towards Doug who grinned evilly at Eddie.

"Busted" he mouthed, quickly changing his expression to one of pain and sadness as the Principal stood over him. He looked to Doug then to Eddie, his face turning red.

"Somebody call the nurse for Miss Hazelwood, Strach and Leaver, to my office immediately and as for the rest of you, to your classes now!" he yelled. Eddie sighed and headed down the hallway, slowly followed by Doug.

"_I'm in deep shit_" he thought to himself.

**- Arkham Asylum, later that night-**

The BatWing landed on the helicopter pad above Arkham Asylum as Commissioner Gordon watched from the roof entrance. The hatch opened and two figures climbed out, one wearing black body armour with a bat insignia on the chest, the other was a red-clad vigilante with mirrored eyes and two D's imprinted on his leather armour. They both headed over to Gordon, side by side, each with serious looks.

"So, I see you made a friend over in New York" Gordon mentioned, not taking his eyes off of Batman's new acquaintance.

"Jim, Daredevil. Daredevil, Commissioner Jim Gordon" he introduced before they shook hands.

"Great to meet you" Jim greeted, releasing Daredevil's hand.

"Likewise" he replied.

"So, you really think Two-Face has info on what's happening in New York?" Gordon asked, turning to Batman.

"He's our only shot at this case. Is he ready?" he asked.

"We put him in the interrogation room early. He's locked down" Gordon reassured. The three of them headed down into the cells of Arkham, passing various cells, most of which contained Batman's foes. Until finally, they came to a sealed room with a security room next door to monitor what happens inside. Batman placed his card into the scanner and the door opened.

"Will you be okay alone?" Gordon asked.

"If he tries anything, we can handle him" he said, nodding to Daredevil, making him nod back. They headed inside the room to find Two-Face sitting at a metal desk, his arms tied behind the chair he sat on. The door closed behind them and Batman headed over to him, Daredevil stood in the corner of the room. Batman looked at the Two-face as he glared back at him.

"Why did you call me here, Batman?" he snarled. Batman just kept staring at him.

"We have a bone to pick with you, Dent" he responded. Two-Face looked confused.

"We?" he asked, still not noticing Daredevil in the corner.

"Me, I'm Daredevil" he responded, Dent look over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you here for?" he asked sarcastically.

"Security. Now talk" he ordered.

"About what?" Two-Face asked after turning to Batman.

"Did the guards inform you about Scarecrow's death?" Batman asked. Two-Face's expression changed from one of anger to one of sadness. He looked at the table as he spoke.

"Yeah, everybody did. We took it pretty rough" he responded. Daredevil looked concerned.

"You were seriously depressed?" he asked.

"We're not all as sick and demented as you think we are. He was like part of our family" he snarled at Daredevil.

"You thought of him as family?" Batman asked in disbelief.

"We all did, Joker, Riddler, Freeze, Quinn, Ivy, all of us. When you're in prison for a long time, you learn to look out for each other" Two-Face explained.

"So, if they had a plan and it went wrong, you'd be there to finish it?" Batman asked, causing Two-face to raise his head.

"What are you getting at?" he asked.

"Did you hear about the recent fear attacks in New York?" Batman asked.

"Wait, you think I had something to do with them?" Two-Face asked.

"Well somebody's using the same fear toxin used by Crane and we need to find out who it is. That toxin leads to nothing but trouble; we need to destroy it before it comes to that" Batman explained angrily.

"Well I have no idea…unless…" he trailed off, Batman noticed this.

"Unless what?" he interrogated.

"Well, Crane did something a long time ago in New York, he'd escaped from Arkham a month before. He met this girl and they…you know. But the next time he came to visit her, she'd done the test and it'd came out positive" Two-Face explained. Both Batman and Daredevil's mouths hung open.

"Scarecrow had a kid?" Daredevil asked.

"What else? We need every bit of information" Batman begged.

"Well, he got caught a month after that and the mom had figured out who he was. So he broke out of Arkham a year later to go see the kid on his first birthday, he'd got him a teddy bear and a little package thing" Two-Face continued.

"What happened after?" Daredevil asked.

"I have no idea. He'd broken back into his cell the next morning; he never wanted the guards to get suspicious. But he seemed different, he didn't come out to eat, he never spoke to any of us, it was like somebody had torn his soul out. But a few months later, he was back to his normal self" Two-Face finished.

"Do you have any idea where his kid was?" Batman asked, making Two-Face shrug.

"Not a clue. He only gave me the minor details and that's about what he was doing. That's all I've got for you Bats" he replied. Batman rubbed his eyes and headed out of the room, Daredevil following right behind him. Gordon caught up with them and walked alongside Batman.

"So?" he asked.

"We may have a lead on this. We're going back to New York" Batman explained as he headed over to the BatWing. But what was happening in courtyard caught his eye. He headed over to the edge of the roof and looked down towards the Graveyard where a lot of the inmates had gathered. A new tombstone had been placed in the yard, surrounded by candles, resting in the middle was a prison photograph of Scarecrow. One at a time, each prisoner walked up to pay respects, Harley Quinn placed flowers in front of the photograph, holding in tears as she backed away. When the prisoners were finished, Two-Face walked up to give a speech.

"We're all gathered here today to remember Jonathan Crane or as most of you knew him, the Scarecrow. I know all of us are depressed that he's gone, but we need to remember the friendship each of us shared with him during each of our time in Arkham. He was our friend, our ally and a member of our family. Now none of us were able to say goodbye to Scarecrow, but I'd like to take a moment of silence to remember him, he deserves that much" Two-face finished and bowed his head. Soon everybody including Joker, Riddler, Freeze, Harley and Ivy bowed their heads in respect. As soon as the silence finished, Two-face joined the crowd and began to vocalize.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…" he began, everybody soon joined in. Even the guards raised their cigarette lighters in respect. Meanwhile, Batman looked from the roof with sadness. Gordon stood alongside him, lighting his cigar.

"The inmates wished to hold a memorial for Crane; it wasn't much to ask for. Sometimes when I look upon them, I see the people they used to be" Gordon said. Daredevil joined them.

"They are still people. Darkness just overtook them" he explained.

"Amen" Gordon replied, blowing smoke out of his mouth.

**A/N: Well, that concludes the longest (and saddest) chapter of this story. I'll see you in the next chapter dudes and dudettes. Laters. **


	7. Vigilante

**A/N: Hey guys, I've been having an awesome week. And in other news, this story has passed the 500 Hits mark, thanks guys. Well, read on, I'll see you at the bottom.**

**- The Next Day, Daybreak High School -**

Eddie nervously tapped his fingers against the wooden bench he sat on just outside the Principal's office. Ever since the incident yesterday, the Principal had been figuring out a punishment. Due to Doug lying on the ground in pain and Eddie standing above him, the Principal had thought that Eddie had started the fight, thus making his punishment worse.

The door opened and Principal Small leaned outside.

"Come in Edward" he instructed. Eddie nodded and headed inside the room. Once inside, he sat opposite the Principal as he headed behind his desk. Once Principal Small sat down, he leaned back in his chair and stared at Eddie, making him sweat.

"Now Edward, I- " he began, but was cut off by Eddie.

"Don't bother; I already know I'm suspended. I'll be out of school by the end of the day" Eddie assumed, making Principal Small raise his eyebrows.

"Actually Edward, I was going to say that you're off the hook" he reassured. Eddie's eyes lit up as the information hit his ears.

"Seri…seriously?" he asked.

"Yes. I got an eyewitness account from Miss Hazelwood saying that Mr. Leaver started the fight and you only acted in self-defence. I assure you that you're off the hook. And don't worry; I'll be having words with Mr. Leaver. You can go now" Principal Small finished. A smile spread across Eddie's face as he exited the room, closing the door behind him. He jumped in the air and did a fist-pump, not noticing he had an audience of one.

"You owe me one Strach" the familiar voice said. Eddie turned around, coming face to face with Clea. He headed over to her, hugged her, lifted her up off of the ground and spun her around before dropping her back to the ground. Once she regained her balance, she gazed his eyes and gave him a peck on the lips.

"I can't thank you enough" Eddie said, making her smile before they brought their mouths together again, this time, it was even longer.

**- Later that night -**

The three men herded into the small warehouse and closed the shutter door behind them. Once inside, they began laughing and whooping at their successful heist, flinging two large sacks onto a crate being used as a table. The impact of the landing caused the sacks to open, spilling rolls of dollar bills onto the crate. Each of the men wore black hoodies, jeans and balaclavas, one of them pulled a stool up to the crate and sat at it. He pulled off his balaclava to reveal an unshaved face with a scar under the left eye. The other two removed theirs, one was African American with brown eyes and the other was Caucasian with stubble and blue eyes. The African American pulled up a stool and sat with him, the other took a packet of cigarettes.

"Hey Andy, I'm going out for a smoke, 'kay?" he asked.

"Fine, but don't let any cops see you" Andy warned, the African American nodded in response before heading out the shutter door. Andy turned back to the pile of cash, the one with the scar was typing away at a battered, dusty calculator.

"So Jer', how much we got?" Andy asked as Jerry typed in the final calculation and pressed the 'Equals' button.

"'Bout $100,000. Man, the Kingpin's going to cry when he sees this" he replied, making Andy laugh.

"And the best part, no Daredevil to stop us" he said, a look of confusion spread across Jerry's face.

"You seriously believe in that guy?" he asked.

"Of course, who else could've taken down Kingpin before?" Andy asked in response.

"Well, I highly doubt that-" Jerry said before the shutter door cut him off. The African American slid under the shutter door and quickly closed it behind him, breathing heavily and looking terrified.

"Shaun, what's the matter with you?" Andy asked as Shaun placed his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

"It's…it's him…" he said between each breath.

"Daredevil?" Andy asked, fear registering in his expression.

"No…that…that new guy…in the news…" Shaun replied, slowly regaining his air supply.

"Wait, that Phobia guy?" Andy asked. Shaun nodded. They each jerked their heads to the door as a metallic bang echoed off the walls of the small room.

"Well let's see how much he can scare us when he's full of lead" Andy said, producing a pistol from the back of his jeans. Shaun and Jerry did the same, loading the ammo clips. They kept their aim focused on the door as the banging continued, their fingers wrapped around the triggers. Suddenly, the banging ceased, the sound of the breathing filling the room. Slowly, Andy lowered his gun, confusion plastered on his face.

"Where'd he go?" Shaun asked, also lowering his pistol. Jerry however, was focused on something on the other side of the room.

"Hey guys, wh_en did that thing get in here?" he asked. The two of them followed his gaze and raised their eyebrows, sitting in the corner leaned against a crate was a small doll made of a sack fabric. Two small X's had been stitched where it eyes should've been and it had no mouth. It seemed surreal yet creepy._

"_I didn't put it there. Did you?" Andy asked, looking at Shaun._

"_Me? What the hell I would I want with a…what the…" he trailed off, staring at the doll. Its legs began to quiver, slowly lifting it up off the ground to a standing position. The three men watched in fear as it slowly stumbled towards them, it approached Jerry and wrapped its arms around his ankle. They shared confused glances._

"_Umm…I think it likes you Jerry" Shaun observed. Suddenly, the doll seemed to explode, sending a crimson liquid over the floor Jerry was standing on. _

"_Yeah, it really likes me. Man, what the hell is this stu-" was all he could say before he seemed to disappear into the red puddle. Andy and Shaun stared in disbelief at the puddle their friend has sunk into. Instantly, they ran over and kneeled down beside it. _

"_Where the hell did he go?" Shaun asked, fear was obviously present in his tone. Andy grabbed a discarded brick from the side of the room and dropped it inside the puddle, it disappeared below surface, almost like there was a hole in the floor and the blood was filling it. Suddenly, the brick erupted from the puddle and flew across to the other side of the room, hitting the floor with a thud. The two men wiped the blood splatters from their faces; Andy however got a bit on his finger and tasted it._

"_Blood. This stuff's blood" he gasped out in fear, making Shaun's mouth drop open. Suddenly, a blood covered hand reached out and grabbed the edge of the puddle, making Andy and Shaun recoil in horror. Soon enough, a blood covered figure rose to the surface, gasping for air and coughing up blood. Andy and Shaun gasped as they saw who it was. _

"_J…Jerry?" Andy gasped. Jerry looked up at them, deep scratches covered his face. _

"_There's…something down there. Something…oh God…it's got me!" he called out as something tried to drag him back under, but Shaun grabbed his hand just in time. _

"_Hold on buddy. I've got you" he said, but he wasn't strong enough. And sure enough, he was dragged beneath the surface along with Jerry as Andy looked on in shock and horror. _

"_Oh shit…I'm getting out of here" he gasped, quickly getting up off the concrete floor and heading across to the exit. He stopped dead in his tracks as the shutter door slowly opened, revealing a figure in a leather trench-coat, orange light shining out of the visors on his gas-mask. As he stepped forward, Andy stepped backward, tears brimming in his eyes. _

"_What…what do you want?" he asked, his voice breaking._

"_I saw what you guys did at that bank. I followed you here to settle the score" Phobia replied, raising his needle tipped gloves to his gas-mask. When he removed it, Andy gasped at what was beneath. Under the hood, was a blood-drenched skull, small pieces of flesh clinging to the jaw and chin and a small, white, pupil-less eye wedged in one of the eye sockets. Andy wretched at the abomination as it stared back at him._

"_Oh Christ, that's disgusting" he choked as Phobia's skull gritted its teeth into a horrendous grin._

"_You ain't seen nothin' yet" he replied, the hanging flesh swinging as his jaw moved up and down. Suddenly, blood began to fire out of his mouth, almost like a fire hose, drenching Andy from head to toe and covering the ground he stood on. When the blood shower ceased, the floor beneath Andy seemed to disappear, causing him to fall into his own blood pool. Andy grabbed the edge and dragged himself onto dry land, gazing up at the horrific figure looming over him._

"_Please man…be cool" Andy begged, tears streaming down his cheeks. Phobia tilted his head and knelt down, coming face to face with Andy._

"_Where's your phone?" Phobia whispered, making a look of both fear and confusion appear on Andy's face. _

"_Wait…what?" he asked, flames suddenly burst forth from the empty eye socket._

"_YOUR CELL PHONE! WHERE IS IT?" Phobia ordered again, making Andy sob._

"_My…my back pocket, man" he replied, making Phobia's teeth form into another fiendish grin._

"_That's all I needed to hear. **Sic 'em, boys!" he called out before two blood drenched skeleton hands rose out of the blood and grabbed Andy's shoulder and jaw.**_

"_**NO, PLEASE! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed as he disappeared below the crimson surface.**_

- In reality -

Phobia looked on as the three men lay still on he ground, twitching ever so often. He headed over to Andy, rolled him over onto his front and took his cell phone from the pocket on the back of his jeans. He dialled 911 and held the phone to his ear, just as a voice answered.

"_This is the emergency number, how may I redirect you call?_" a female voice asked from the other end.

"Can you put me through to the Police please?" he replied, his voice muffled by his gas mask.

**- Later, New York City Downtown Hospital -**

"They're just through here" Gordon explained as him, Batman and Daredevil headed into the hospital room. Andy, Jerry and Shaun each laid on a separate bed, their skin pale and their body language unsettling. Batman and Daredevil looked at each other.

"Ever had Déjà vu?" Daredevil asked. Batman nodded and turned to Gordon.

"Did any of them see the attacker?" Batman asked.

"Him" Gordon nodded over to Andy, whose legs hung over the side of the bed, his head cradled in his hands. Batman headed over to him, making him look up.

"What did your attacker look like? We need to know," he ordered with a stern tone.

"It was that Phobia guy" Andy began, making Batman raise an eyebrow.

"Phobia?" Batman asked.

"Yeah, that's what people are calling him. His…his face was a bloody, skull thing. What was he?" Andy asked in return.

"He was using a fear toxin on you, that face was just an illusion. Why did he come after you?" Batman interrogated.

"Me and the others, we'd just robbed a bank and…he followed us back to where the police found us. We were only doing what we were told" Andy explained, Daredevil joined them.

"It was Kingpin wasn't it?" he said angrily, making Andy nod.

"I've heard of him. Friend of yours?" Batman asked.

"Try the opposite" Daredevil replied, turning back to Andy.

"What did he wear?" Daredevil asked again.

"Well, he wore this black coat and a gas mask. That's all I can remember" Andy finished. Batman and Daredevil headed back over to Gordon.

"The attacker we saw going into the sewer wore the same things that man just told us. He seems to be targeting criminals, almost like a vigilante," Batman explained.

"So, why should we stop him helping people?" Gordon asked.

"He has a point Batman. I do stuff like that all the time, minus the fear toxin" Daredevil seconded.

"No. As long as somebody's using that toxin, all hell's bound break loose. We need to find Phobia now" Batman explained.

"No offence Batman, but I can't cover this whole city on my own. It'll take me months to find this guy, even then it might be too late" Daredevil replied. Batman rubbed his eyes and pondered for a second.

"Actually, I may have someone who can assist you" Batman explained.

"Who?" Daredevil asked.

"She's what you might call an…unlikely ally," Batman explained.

**A/N: Well, that's the end of this chapter. I have a feeling you all know who this "Unlikely Ally" is. Till the next chapter, farewell. **


	8. The Truth

**A/N: Hey People and writers alike. I've been getting TONNES of positive feedback from you guys, I'm not asking you to keep it up, I'm just asking you not to stop. Now where was I...Oh yeah, read on.**

**- New York, Midnight -**

The wind blew the dust across the roof as Batman gazed across the city, waiting for signs of movement. Daredevil however leaned against the wall, watching the Caped Crusader with interest, they'd been waiting for the past two hours and there was still no sign of Batman's "Unlikely Ally". Daredevil let out a sigh, his breath made visible by the cold night air.

"Are you sure she's coming?" he asked out of boredom.

"She's never let me down before, she'll be here" Batman responded, not even turning his head. Daredevil stood back up and started swinging his nun-chucks in circles before placing them back in their holster.

"Well, she better be able to fight, cause I'm not afraid to hit a woma-" he trailed off, Batman seemed to looking past him.

"She's right behind me, isn't she?" Daredevil asked, Batman nodded, still looking behind him. Daredevil turned to see a silhouette standing on the other side of the roof. He grinned.

"How much of that did you hear?" he asked.

"Enough" the silhouette replied in a feminine tone as she headed over to them, hips swaying side to side. Entering the light, the figure was revealed to be wearing a black, leather jumpsuit, a leather helmet with cat ears and red goggles. A strand of long black hair hung out from the front of the helmet. Batman smirked as she approached them.

"What time do you call this?" Batman asked.

"Time for some introductions, who's the red stud?" she asked, her eyes focused on the red clad vigilante. She stood so she was face to face with Daredevil whilst Batman stood in between them.

"Daredevil, Catwoman. Catwoman, Daredevil" he introduced. Catwoman raised an eyebrow as she extended her hand towards him.

"Pleasure to meet you" she flirted; Daredevil grasped her hand in a formal manner and gently kissed the back of her palm.

"Likewise. Umm…if it isn't too much trouble, could I feel your face?" he asked, making Catwoman raise her eyebrows.

"Excuse me?" she asked, obviously confused.

"I just want to see who I'm working with," Daredevil responded, making Catwoman chuckle.

"Are you blind or something?" she asked jokingly, her expression changed as Daredevil lifted his mask; revealing the glazed, blue eyes. She covered her mouth with regret.

"Pretty much" he responded, smiling.

"Oh my God, I…I'm so sorry. I had no ide-" she said before Daredevil cut her off.

"Don't worry, you didn't know" he reassured.

"Wait, if you can't see, how come you can fight so well and jump from those heights without a scratch?" she asked.

"Long story, I'll explain at the safehouse. So?" he asked, gesturing to his hand.

"Sure. Why not" Catwoman replied moving closer to him. Slowly, Daredevil brought his hand to her cheek and tapped it ever so slightly, sending his radar sense across her face, almost as if he could see her in the electric blue waves of his mind.

"Wow, that's not half bad" he chuckled, making her grin.

"Well who knows, you might get to feel some other stuff if you're lucky" she flirted, waggling her eyebrows. The moment between them ceased as Batman cleared his throat, instantly making them turn their heads. Batman looked to Daredevil, then to Catwoman.

"So, I take it you got the message?" he asked.

"Yep, all I have to do is watch out for anything to do with Scarecrow or this Phobia guy. That all?" Catwoman asked in return.

"Almost, if you see Phobia, radio one of us if you need back-up. I've already given one to Daredevil, he's on Channel 2 and I'm on Channel 1. Understand?" Batman instructed, handing her a small bluetooth headset with a Bat Insignia on the side. Catwoman lifted up the side of her helmet and placed the headset on her ear; she pressed the communication button for Channel 1.

"Can you hear me?" she spoke into the headset.

"Loud and Clear" Batman responded. She them pressed the Channel 2 button.

"What about you Horn Boy?" she joked.

"Sounds good" Daredevil replied in a similar fashion.

"Okay, we all have our assignments. Daredevil you'll be scanning the North of the city and Catwoman; you'll be scanning the South. I'll be at the safehouse trying to find a lead on Phobia, understood?" Batman asked. They both nodded in response.

"Okay, let's move" Daredevil announced, back flipping off the side of the roof and landing on the one across from them. Catwoman watched in interest, but snapped out of her trance as Batman gave her a death stare.

"There's a time and a place," he warned, making her smirk.

"No need to be jealous Bats," she replied before heading off in the opposite direction.

Batman shook his head and began to head back to the safehouse.

**- The Next Day, Saturday, Adrenaline Gym -**

"_Just imagine its Doug. Just imagine its Doug. Just imagine its Doug_" Eddie kept on thinking to himself as he repeatedly hit the punching bag, his knuckles slowly turning a shade of red. He'd never been to a gym before until now, ever since the fight with Doug two days ago, he'd decided to learn some fighting techniques in case he went hand to hand with a criminal. So far, he'd learned how to punch harder, now he actually had to learn to fight somebody that isn't a leather sack with no arms. He ceased the hitting, sweat staining the back of his grey tank top. He began to breathe heavily, not noticing the figure standing behind him.

"Nice punching" the feminine voice commented, making him smirk.

"Do you sneak up on people all the time?" he asked, turning to face the purple haired girl. Clea wore a pink, sports top, black sweatpants and sneakers; in one hand she held a black clear bottle of water.

"Only when I feel like it" she joked, giving him a peck on the cheek, also causing him to blush.

"So, you beefing up or something?" she asked, taking a swig from the bottle and wiping her mouth.

"Kinda. I'm trying to learn some fighting stuff. You know, just in case he tries anything else" Eddie lied, hating every word that came out of his mouth. Clea looked him up and down before answering.

"I could help you" she insisted, making Eddie raise his eyebrows.

"You could? Wait, if you can fight, how come Doug took you down in school?" Eddie asked, making Clea glare at him.

"He hit me without warning and I'd smacked my head against the lockers. What do you think?" she reminded.

"Right, sorry. What fighting skills do you have?" Eddie asked.

"Mostly mixed martial arts. I suppose I could teach you a few things, but it'll cost you" Clea replied, smirking.

"Cost me what?" Eddie asked, nearly dreading the outcome.

"Let's make a deal, I'll teach you a few moves, but only if you take me to see the new Resident Evil: Retribution movie" Clea proposed.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Eddie asked, his eyebrows raised. Clea smirked and tapped the side of the bottle with her fingers.

"Maybe, do we have a deal?" she asked, holding out her hand. Eddie chuckled before reaching out and shaking it.

"Deal" he replied.

**- Later -**

Clea's fist hovered inches from Eddie's face as he grabbed it in a block, Clea nodded in appreciation.

"Good job" she commented.

"Thanks" Eddie replied before Clea struck him in the gut with her free hand, sending him to the floor.

"Remember, never let your opponent distract you" she reminded him, helping him up off the ground.

"I'll keep that in mind" Eddie replied, rubbing his sore stomach.

"Let's try it again" Clea said, getting into position. Eddie obliged and stood in front of her, waiting for the first strike. Suddenly, Clea's fist shot out at Eddie's face, but he was able to grab it in a similar block as before.

"Again, good job" she commented again.

"Thanks" Eddie replied as she went for another punch to the gut. However, Eddie used his spare hand to block it and moved her arms together into a lock. Finally, he was able to use the lock to force her backwards onto the floor. Clea got up off the ground, a look of amazement on her face.

"You've learned well my Padawan" she joked.

"Thank you Master Kenobi" Eddie replied, laughing slightly. He ran his hand through his hair, pulling it back to revealing his forehead and where his hair joined with his scalp. However, Clea noticed something different; she headed over to Eddie and pushed his hair back again. Beginning at his scalp was a small patch of white hair, when his hair was hanging down like it usually was, it unnoticeable.

"What's with the white patch?" Clea asked, making Eddie sigh.

"It happened in a couple of years ago. We were doing an experiment in science to see how bleach affected different organic objects. But Doug, in all his wisdom, thought it'd be funny to test it on my eyes. He squirted it at me from the bottle, but his aim wasn't that good. I tried dying it black again, but nothing worked" he explained.

"Well I think it looks cute" Clea commented.

"Thanks" Eddie replied, kissing her on the forehead and making her smile.

"So, should we get back to work? I'm feeling ready to kick your ass again" he joked.

"We'll see whose ass gets kicked" Clea responded, cracking her knuckles.

**- Later that night -**

Eddie shivered as he felt the cold night air blow against his face; he held the door open for Clea as she too exited the gym, her gym bag swung over her shoulder. She looked both ways down the street before turning back to Eddie.

"I had a great time today" she thanked, making Eddie blush.

"Forget about it. You're awesome to hang out with" he complimented. She smiled and quickly kissed him.

"Besides, I still need to take you up on the movie offer. Maybe next weekend?" he asked.

"Sounds awesome" she replied. The two of them stood in silence for what seemed like an hour, when in reality it was about twenty-five seconds.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at school" Clea said.

"Yeah, later Clea" Eddie said, Clea came forward and passionately kissed him.

"Later Eddie" she responded before walking away. Eddie waited until she was out of sight before making his way home, the bright streetlights illuminating his path.

**- Meanwhile -**

"So what exactly happened after?" Gary asked as him, Tom and Chris enjoyed a packet of cigarettes; smoke erupting from their mouths and noses.

"Well, after that I woke up in the hospital. They said I'd been out for hours, I'm telling you, that guy was scary as crap" Tom replied, stepping on his discarded cigarette butt and grinding it into the gravel.

"Wait, if you were in hospital, why did you escape?" Chris asked, offering Tom another cigarette, to which he obliged.

"Are you kiddin' me? They would've looked up my police records, I could've gone to the slammer" he replied, retrieving a lighter from his pocket. Gary blew smoke into the air as Tom and Chris continued talking. However, his eyes darted to the figure heading down the alley towards them. She had dark purple hair, green eyes and wore a black jacket, white V-Neck, a denim mini-skirt, black leggings and black leather boots; she also had a gym bag swung over her shoulder. An evil grin spread across Gary's face as he watched her pass.

"Hey Tom, so what if that bitch got away cause of some guy in a mask, I can make it up to you" he said, gesturing to Clea as she got closer.

"Umm…I…I don't know Gar'. I don't wanna get chased through another graveyard" Tom said in a worried tone.

"C'mon Tommy, what are the odds of Phobia showing up again? And besides, I doubt he can take three of us at once" Gary reassured. Tom thought for a second before a grin spread across his face.

"Fine, I'm in" he agreed, making his way over to Clea, the others followed suit. But as they got closer and closer, Clea became nervous and slowed to a halt as they towered over her.

"Hey girl, you got any change on you?" Tom asked, trying to sound as desperate as possible.

"I…I'm sorry. I'm all out" Clea responded, walking back the way she came, not realising that she was being followed. Tom reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"Hey, what are you-" she cried out before Tom clamped his hand over her mouth, her screams now muffled behind his palm. He cackled as she squirmed in his grasp, frantically trying to make him loose his grip, but to no avail.

"Guys, give me a hand. She's stronger than she looks" Tom said, just seconds before Clea's foot connected with his junk. He screamed out in agony, clutching his bruised merchandise, also releasing his grip on Clea's mouth.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" she called out before something hit her hard on the back of the head, sending her to the ground. The last thing she saw before blacking out was the ground moving diagonally as she was dragged away to an unknown destination.

**- One block away -**

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Eddie turned so fast he could've got whiplash the sound was so sudden. Yet he could tell whose voice it was in a heartbeat.

"Oh my God, Clea" he whispered to himself, running into a nearby alley and removing his oversized gym bag from his shoulder. He looked up and down the alleyway, making sure the coast was clear before pulling the bag open. Inside the bag was his Phobia costume, all neatly folded with the gas mask sitting on top. Eddie picked up the mask and gazed into the empty visors, a look of seriousness upon his face.

"Time to fear up" he said to himself, slipping the mask over his head.

**- Later -**

Chris looked around the corner, his eyes scanning every nook and cranny for witnesses. He glanced back at his friends as they carried Clea's unconscious body between them.

"Coast is clear. Move" Christ instructed as they made their way down the alleyway, stopping at the back entrance of an apartment building. Chris held the door open as they carried Clea inside, completely unaware of the figure watching them from the shadows. They made their way to apartment 3B and headed inside, slamming the door shut behind them. The apartment was a pigsty, the wallpaper was beige and peeling, the floorboards were visible, a small, dusty TV sat in the corner and a dirty mattress sat in the corner of the room. Tom and Gary lay Clea down on the mattress and bound her hands together with a strip of duct tape, as Chris turned on the only light in the room, a small lamp, placed on a crate. They each turned their heads to Clea as she began to stir, slowly opening her eyes.

"Wha…where am…oh my God!" she screamed as she recognized the assailants, quickly trying to stand up. However, Tom placed a second strip of duct tape over her mouth, cutting off her pleas. He laughed as he turned her head to face Gary and Chris.

"Since it's your first time, I'll let you choose. Which one of us do you wanna bang first?" he asked mockingly. Tears began streaming down Clea's cheeks as she shook her head, crying out from behind the tape.

"What was that? You want it to be me?" Tom laughed, making her scream frantically, tears now flooding out of her eyes.

"Well, if you insist" Tom said, grinning horrifically. He slowly moved his hand up her thigh to the back zipper on her skirt, she screamed as she writhed on the mattress, frantically screaming pointless pleas for help. Tom slowly grabbed the zipper and slowly pulled it down…

SMASH!

Everybody, even Clea, turned his or her heads to where the noise originated e.g. the kitchen. Chris pulled a gun from the back of his jeans, cocked it and turned to Gary.

"I'll go take a look," he explained, slowly heading out of the room. He entered the kitchen with his gun raised, to see a gaping hole in the window where glass should've been. He slowly made his way over to the window, shaking as fear overtook him. Suddenly, a needle tipped glove grabbed his shoulder and injected an orange liquid into his arm, forcing him to scream out in agony. In the living room, Gary and Tom heard the scream and panicked, instantly reaching for their guns and aiming them at the doorway. Clea whimpered in the corner as they stared hard into the darkness. Suddenly, Chris came running into the room, making them jump. He was clutching his shoulder in agony, crying like an infant before passing out on the floor. Gary and Tom exchanged horrified looks before turning back to the doorway, only to gasp at what stood there.

"Oh Christ, it's him" Tom choked out; the figure in the trenchcoat instantly noticed him.

"YOU? Didn't I get through to you already?" Phobia asked, his voice muffled by the gas mask.

"I…I'm sorry. He made me do it. He said nothing bad would happen" Tom said, Gary glanced at him with a look of betrayal.

"YOU ASSHOLE! Why try and pin all this on me?" Gary asked in an angry tone. However, Phobia interrupted them.

"It doesn't matter, you'll both need new pairs of underwear when I'm done with you" Phobia threatened, heading over to the assailants. Gary and Tom both reached for their guns and fired at the leather-clad vigilante, making stop in his tracks. They both laughed victoriously as Phobia sunk to his knees. But their happiness was short lived as Phobia began cackling. He got up off the ground, making their mouths flop open.

"What the fuck are you, man?" Gary asked as Phobia stood right in front of him. Phobia pulled open his trenchcoat revealing the bulletproof vest containing two dents.

"Smart" Phobia responded before sinking his needles into Gary's neck, making him drop to the ground. Tom stood frozen on the other side of the room, his legs refusing to move as Phobia gave him a long, cold, evil stare. He started towards Tom, flexing his needle tipped fingers in a threatening manner. Phobia grabbed him by the neck and pinned him against the wall, lifting him up off the ground.

"I gave you a chance and you ignored it" Phobia growled, making Tom whimper.

"No, please. Don't put me through that again" he begged, making Phobia sigh in irritation.

"Fine, I'll let you off easy" he replied, dropping him back to the floor and making him smile.

"Thanks, you're a really nice gu-," he said before Phobia hit him in the face, knocking him out cold. Phobia looked over to Clea who watched with amazement. He went over to her and unbound her, pulling the tape from her mouth in the process. She flung her arms around him as soon as they were free from their makeshift bounds.

"Thanks you. Thank you so much" Clea whispered, her voice breaking slightly. She released her grip and looked into his visors, breathing heavily. He looked back with intrigue.

"_Why is she looking at me like that?_" he thought to himself as she raised her hands to his mask. She pulled him closer and gently kissed his mask on the cheek, making his eyes widen from beneath the black plastic. The shock of the kiss forced him to move back, not noticing she was still gripping it. The mask moved down, revealing a strand of black hair with a white patch. Clea covered her hands with her mouth as the realisation hit her, the bully's panic attacks, the sudden need to learn fighting skills, they all lead to one person.

"Ed…Eddie?" she whispered, making Phobia pull his mask back down. He stood frozen for a second before finally speaking.

"Call…call the police. They'll handle everything," he nervously explained before heading out the door and up the stairs to the roof. All the while, Clea sat with her hands over her mouth, still trying to take in what she'd just seen.

**A/N: Dun, dun, DUUUUUUNNNNNNN! Clea knows! What will happen to her and Eddie? Will their friendship/relationship fall apart? I don't know, I haven't got that far yet. I'll see you guys later, spread the word and RnR. **


	9. Fears and Alliances

**A/N: Hey guys, I've been working on some new chapters for a while now PLUS I've posted Phobia on my deviantART page that's getting me way more hits. Plus, this story has now become a combination of two stories, this one by me and another by this AWESOME guy on deviantART called JCPablo. To understand what happens in this part of the story, go to my profile and copy the gibberish, then paste it into the search bar. If it works, it will bring up his story entitled 'Raven'. Well, that's about it, see you at the bottom.**

**- Two days later, Monday, Daybreak High School -**

Eddie lay back against the back wall of the school, one knee raised and the other stretched out on the ground. The sound of students leaving school filled the air, agitating Eddie as he waited for it to cease. He'd been avoiding Clea for the whole day and it wasn't easy, but he knew that sometime later, he'd run into her and he'd be forced to spill the beans. It made him feel like crap every time he ignored her, but he couldn't figure out how to explain it to her. Every scenario he imagined always ended in disaster, it was only a matter of time before he'd have to…

"Eddie?" a voice asked, breaking his concentration. He spun his head to see Clea standing over him. Slowly, she sat down beside and let out a sigh. The two of them sat in silence until Clea finally broke it.

"Eddie, tell me the truth. Are you Phobia?" she asked, Eddie nodded, not even looking her direction.

"But…why didn't you tell me?" she asked, almost begging him to look at her.

"I…I don't know. You're like my best friend, but after everything Phobia's done, I thought you'd think I was a freak. I'm not hurting anybody like my dad, I'm only going after criminals," Eddie explained, raising his head to eye level. Clea thought about this for a second before turning back to Eddie.

"So…you're only doing it to criminals? Nobody innocent?" she asked.

"Exactly, I'm like the opposite of Scarecrow" Eddie replied, Clea bit her bottom lip, she entered a state of complete concentration for a few seconds. Until finally, she smiled and turned to Eddie.

"Okay" she said, making Eddie look at her with wide eyes.

"O…okay?" he asked, making her chuckle and nod.

"Yeah, we could pull this off. Besides, it'd be fun having a superhero as a boyfriend" Clea replied, pulling him in for a quick kiss. He grinned and got up off the ground, offering a hand to help her up. Once they were both standing, they headed out of the school grounds, hand in hand.

**- Two Days Later -**

**(WARNING: MUST HAVE READ JCPablo's deviantART STORY TO UNDERSTAND THIS PART!)**

Clea sat at her laptop, typing away as her history essay passed through her mind, so far Eddie had stopped 3 muggings, 1 attempted rape and 1 store robbery. She felt proud knowing the boy she loved was making a difference. She lost her concentration when she heard tapping at her window, she screamed as she saw a figure in a leather trench coat standing at her apartment window standing on the fire escape. She went over and opened it, letting him climb inside and remove his mask.

"You scared the hell out of me, Eddie" Clea said, making him grin.

"At least I know my costume's working" he joked, Clea replied with playful punch on the arm. They sat down on her bed and she kissed his cheek.

"So, any good crimes?" she asked.

"Only a couple of muggings. I made this one guy piss himself," Eddie laughed, making Clea join in. Once she calmed down, she turned to her laptop, minimized her essay and opened the Internet, searching for the local news.

"Did you see the news?" she asked bringing up an online news article. It read:

**JOKER CAPTURED!**

**Yesterday evening, the notorious criminal Joker was caught and arrested for the murder of Elizabeth Varonis the day before. He has been transported back to Arkham Asylum and has been placed in Extreme Incarceration. When questioned, Joker revealed that he was foiled by the arrival of new vigilante, Phobia.**

A photograph showed Joker being dragged into the back of a Police Van by policemen whilst he laughed hysterically. Clea raised her eyebrows at Eddie.

"Did you have anything to do with that?" she asked, making Eddie grin.

"I guess so. But…Joker wasn't the only one…I…gassed" he replied as his grin turned into a look of sadness. Clea noticed this.

"What happened? And how did you get fear GAS?" she asked.

"I was able to make the fear toxin airborne in science class, I figured I'd test it out. I heard Joker was in town, so I tried to bring up my hero factor a few levels. But…" he trailed off, Clea put her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah?" she urged him to continue.

"I…there was a girl there. He was holding her hostage, I gassed the room but…it got her too. I swear it was an accident; I'm not trying to be like my dad, I NEVER want to be like my dad, I tried to…" he started to panic and speak REALLY fast. His ramble was ceased when Clea covered his mouth with her hand.

"Eddie, calm down. Now tell me what happened after" she said, removing her hand.

"Well…I just wanted to get out of there. But…Batman came after me, he caught me, he wanted me to give up the fear toxin…" he trailed off as Clea covered her mouth in shock.

"Batman? How'd you escape?" she asked, almost like a child wanting to hear the end of a story.

"He let me go when I gave him my gloves, but I'd run away before he found out they were made of rubber gloves and turkey basters. But I don't know why he'd come after me? It was an accident," Eddie explained.

"Maybe he thinks you'll turn out like your dad" Clea responded, making Eddie's mouth flop open.

"I can't believe it. He thinks that just because my dad was a super-villain, I'll turn out like one? You don't think that, do you?" he asked, turning to Clea. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Of course I don't. I know you, Eddie. You're smarter than your dad, you'll never turn out like him" she responded, pulling him in for a long passionate kiss. However, they failed to notice the figure watching them through the window from the opposite rooftop. She was about Eddie's age with long, orange locks and wore a black mask with wings around her eyes, a black, sleeveless jumpsuit with black sweatbands, black leggings with white strips going down the insides and black leather boots. But the one thing that stood out the most was the set of black, metal wings attached just below her shoulders. Her mouth hung open as a look of disbelief spread across her face.

"Oh my god. Eddie's Phobia" she said to herself, before heading the opposite direction and jumping off of the roof seconds before her wings spread out. Meanwhile. Back inside the apartment, Eddie and Clea separated from their kiss, smiling at each other. Clea turned back to her laptop and opened up a second page.

"Hey, I also found this" she mentioned, pointing at the screen. This time, the story read:

**RAVEN: CAN SHE BE TRUSTED?**

**Yesterday evening, on the same night the Joker was caught, a small convenience store owner was held at gunpoint by four armed men, possibly working for the Kingpin. The store owner said: "She swooped in through the window and just began taking them down. I have no idea who she was, but she saved my store and I'm very grateful". However, the NYPD replied with: "We have enough superheroes in this city, if we let them continue like this we'll all be out of the job". **

Eddie raised his eyebrows as he read the story. Clea grinned back at him.

"Look's like somebody's becoming a role model," she suggested. Eddie rolled his eyes.

"That would be pretty cool. Next it'll be Fan Clubs, FanFictions, maybe a talk show-" he said before the pillow connected with his face. Eddie raised his eyebrows at Clea who sat there sniggering.

"Don't get cocky, Fear Boy" she replied.

**- Two Hours Later, Hell's Kitchen -**

"C'mon buddy, I don't want to start breaking bones," Daredevil threatened the man as he hung him over the edge of the building by his leg. The man screamed in fear as he looked up at the ground.

"PLEASE! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" he screamed at his upside-down captor, Daredevil yawned in response.

"Don't lie to me, I know you work for Kingpin. So talk, in the meantime, lets sing a song. This little piggy went to market…" he began, releasing his pinkie's grip on the man's leg, making him, drop slightly.

"NO, PLEASE DON'T!" he cried, but Daredevil kept on counting.

"…, this little piggy stayed at home…" he continued, removing his ring finger from the man's leg, dropping him even more.

"PLEASE! I SWEAR I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" the man cried out again, tears streaming out of his eyes. Daredevil grinned as he continued counting.

"…, this little piggy hit the concrete…" he said, but before releasing his middle finger, the man cried out.

"OKAY! Okay, I'll talk" he cried, making Daredevil smile.

"Now, tell me everything you know about Phobia? Seven days ago, Phobia took three of Kingpin's men down, you must've talked to them sometime after. What do you know?" Daredevil threatened.

"I…I don't know where he is, but I know something else. That glowing stuff he uses to scare people, he didn't use it that time" the man explained, making Daredevil's glazed eyes widen.

"What?" he asked obviously confused.

"He…didn't inject any of them, yet he still made them have them creepy dreams. That's all I know, I swear" the man replied, gasping for air. Daredevil narrowed his eyes and lifted the man back onto the roof, dropping him unmercifully. The man began breathing heavily, wiping sweat from his forehead as he did so.

"Word of advice: Give up crime, get a job, get a girlfriend. I don't want to come after you again," Daredevil explained in a threatening tone.

"Yes sir, Mr. Devil. I'll give it up, I promise" the man replied before heading over to the fire escape. Daredevil turned and began running the opposite direction, free running from rooftop to rooftop, without the slightest hint of fear. But he stopped when something unusual passed through his senses; he began tapping the roof with his foot until he found what he's senses had picked up. In the distance, a few blocks away, he made out the shape of a person, a girl, with huge black wings, standing by the edge. Daredevil was about to head over, but stopped once she dropped over the edge. Daredevil shook his head in disbelief.

"_I better tell Batman_," he thought to himself as he began running once again.

**- The Safehouse -**

Daredevil opened the window and headed into the living room, only to find Catwoman sitting on the old sofa, drinking a can of beer. She immediately acknowledged his presence and smiled. Unbeknown to her, he placed a garbage bag on the floor next to the window.

"Where've you been?" she asked.

"Places, where's Batman?" Daredevil responded, not sensing Batman anywhere.

"He was gone when I got here" Catwoman replied. She reached under the sofa and pulled out a 6 pack of beer, minus the one she was drinking, pulled out a can and tossed it to Daredevil. His arm was a blur as he grabbed it in midair, inches from his face. Catwoman raised her eyebrows as Daredevil headed over and sat down beside her, opening the can in the process. He raised it to his lips and took a big gulp. He turned to face her, his radar sense showed she was smiling, he responded with a cheeky grin.

"So, what's your story?" he asked, making Catwoman raise her eyes, thinking back.

"Well, I don't really remember my family, but I do remember being raised in an orphanage. I escaped from there and began living on the streets. I taught myself to fight and had to steal for food and money. I'm not always bad though, I help Batman on some occasions" she explained, taking a swig from her can.

"What about you?" she asked as Daredevil wiped beer from his mouth.

"My dad was a boxer who worked for the Kingpin, I came home from school one day to find him beating up for cash. He saw me and I ran for my life, but this forklift truck was lifting these barrels of toxic waste. I didn't see where I was going and ran in front of the forklift, it just missed me but punctured the barrels. The waste hit me straight in the eyes; I woke up in hospital to find I could still see somehow. Because the waste took my sight, made all my remaining senses more powerful. That's how I could do all that stuff you've heard about" he explained, Catwoman took a sip of her beverage and looked at him with disillusioned eyes.

"What happened to your father?" she asked, making his head spin to face her.

"How did you-" he began before Catwoman cut him off.

"I could feel it. I know that look," she explained, wanting him to continue.

"He was going up against this Heavyweight Champion and the Kingpin wanted him to lose. But my dad said no, he went out there and almost got the crap beat out of him. But I was there in the stands, I cheered him on and he kicked that guy's ass. I waited outside the arena; I couldn't wait to see him. But instead of his laugh, I heard a gunshot. I ran to the back entrance and found his corpse, I begged him to wake up…but he…" Daredevil trailed off as a tear slid out from under his mask, Catwoman covered her mouth with both hands at the sight of this. She placed her hand on his leg comfortingly, making him look at her.

"Hey, I'm sorry. If I'd known what'd happened, I wouldn't have asked" she apologized, Daredevil wiped away the tear and smiled.

"Don't worry, you didn't know" he replied, making her smile. For the next few seconds, Catwoman gazed into his eyes whilst Daredevil listened as her heartbeat got faster and faster. Their moment ceased as they heard the window open, sure enough, Batman climbed inside and closed the window behind him. As he headed over to the BatComputer, he tossed a pair of objects onto the dusty coffee table in front of Catwoman and Daredevil. Once he sat down at the BatComputer, he began typing away, almost like he hadn't even noticed them. Catwoman got up and headed over to Batman, standing beside him as he typed away.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"Doing some detective work, I ran into Phobia" Batman replied, not taking his eyes off the screen. Catwoman's mouth hung open.

"Seriously, what happened?" she asked.

"He got away, I thought he'd given me his gloves" Batman explained, gesturing to the Coffee Table. Catwoman looked to see Daredevil holding the objects; one of his gloves was removed and slowly caressing the object.

"These are made of rubber, no offence Batman, but he got you good" he said, tossing the gloves onto the table and placing his glove back on. Catwoman rolled her eyes and smiled before turning back to Batman.

"Anything good happen while you were away?" she asked, just as Batman brought up an online news article on the BatComputer.

"Yes, I recruited a new ally. Her name's Raven, look at what she did" he instructed, showing the same article that Clea had shown Eddie.

"Wow, this girl's got some skill" Catwoman said, just as Daredevil came up behind her.

"I stuck a Radio Headset in her back pocket in case we ever need her, or if she ever needs us" Batman explained.

"Wait, did she have really big wings?" Daredevil asked, making Batman turn to face him.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"I her saw a while ago, I was wondering who the heck she was. Also, I have some information on Phobia" Daredevil explained.

"What information?" Catwoman asked, obviously concerned.

"Those guys who robbed the back didn't even get injected with that fear toxin stuff. So, I…hold on a second" he said, heading over to the window and picking up the garbage bag he'd left there. He headed back over and removed the contents. Daredevil held a deodorant can with a 'P' written on the side in a black marker. Also, the tops of the cans had been taped down so that whatever was inside the cans wouldn't stop spraying. Batman took it off of him.

"Where did you find these?" Batman asked, amazed at Daredevil's detective work.

"I headed over to the crime scene and found three of them in the air vents. He must've made the fear toxin airborne somehow" he explained. A look of seriousness consumed Batman's face.

"Like father, like son. We need to find Phobia now" he said, crushing the deodorant can in his hand.

**A/N: Remember, to understand what's happened, follow the link on my profile to learn of Raven's origin. BTW for some reason, my profile won't let me update. So, here are all the links you need:**

**Link to 'Raven' (the story this crosses over with): .com/gallery/#/d4v4vf0**

**Link to what Raven looks like: .com/favourites/#/d4vgsxh  
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**That fact aside, laters readers.**


	10. New Partnerships

**A/N: Hmm…I am running out of things to write in my Author's Notes. Why did this never occur to me? WHY DAMN IT? WHY? Anyway, sorry you had to hear that, I've finally got the links I mentioned in my last story up on my profile. For some reason, the links to ages to upload, sorry for the inconvenience. I'll see you at the bottom.**

**- Later, Eddie's Apartment -**

Eddie closed his bedroom window behind him as he snuck back inside his room. He quickly disrobed from his Phobia costume, put it back in its bag and hid it under the bed. He quickly changed into some jeans and a navy V-Neck, before heading out of his room and into the kitchen. Halfway through making a sandwich, he heard frantic talking from the living room. He stood outside, peeping through the crack in the door and listening intently. He saw his mother, Andrea, talking to somebody on the phone. Laid out on the table in front of her was a sea of papers, each with the words 'FINAL NOTICE' stamped on in red ink.

"Listen, I'm good for the money, I can pay the bills. Just give me more time, please?" she begged, her voice cracking as she spoke. Eddie went over to the phone screwed onto the wall in the kitchen and held it to his ear, eavesdropping.

"_I'm sorry Miss Strach, but your rent payments were due months ago. And if you can't pay them by the end of the week, I'll be forced to evict you_" a male voice on the other end explained. Eddie heard his mother gasp on the other end of the line.

"_What? No, please, you can't. I have a son; he's still in school. You can't do this, you have to give me more time_" Andrea begged, Eddie could tell she would start crying soon as the man on the other end sighed.

"_Okay, I can give you till next month. But that's the longest I can give you, you must have the money by then or else_" the man replied. Eddie could hear his mother silently sobbing.

"_Th-thank you_" she sniffed.

"_Goodbye Miss Strach_" the man said, second before Eddie heard the dial tone. He placed the phone back on its stand, only to hear his mother sobbing in the other room. He went inside and sat down beside her, offering a shoulder to cry on. She accepted it straight away, drenching his upper sleeves. He put an arm around her and brushed a strand of brunette hair behind her ear.

"_I'll get us out of this, mom. I don't care what it takes, I promise_" he thought to himself, as his mother emptied her tear ducts.

**- Daybreak High School, Science Class, The Next Day -**

**(MUST'VE READ JCPablo's deviantART STORY TO UNDERSTAND THIS. LINKS ON MY PROFILE)**

Eddie placed on his goggles as Mr. Andre wrote the instructions for the dissection of the frog on the board.

"Okay, now remember kids, if you ever get stuck, ask me for help. You may begin," he announced, allowing the classroom to be filled with whispered conversations. Eddie rolled his eyes and slowly lowed his scalpel to the frog's belly, but before he could penetrate its slimy flesh, he felt a tapping on his shoulder from behind him. He turned to face another student; he had spiked up brown hair and wore a dark blue, button-up shirt with a crimson plaid pattern, jeans and black converses. Eddie was still confused as to why he was over here.

"Um…can I help you…" he asked, trying to remember his name.

"H-Harper, my partner isn't here today, so Mr. Andre told me to pair up with you. Are you working alone?" Harper asked, grinning slightly. Little did he know that ever since 5th Grade, Eddie had ALWAYS worked alone in Science Class.

"Sure, put on your goggles and join in" Eddie replied. Harper placed on the goggles he'd brought with him and stood beside him. As the lesson went on, Eddie and Harper started talking, it turned out that they both had a lot in common. They had the same interest in bands, video games, comic books and science. It was a mystery why they hadn't met in the first place.

"So, what happened to your partner?" Eddie asked, realising why they were working together in the first place.

"Oh, for some reason she's been missing from school. Its kinda' weird" Harper replied, making Eddie raise and eyebrow.

"How is it weird?" he asked again.

"Well…the night before she stopped coming to school…her dad died" Harper explained gravely. Eddie raised his eyebrows in shock.

"So, nobody knows where she is?" he asked for a third time.

"Exactly, but there is somebody who might know. She had a friend, Sarah, on the same night her dad died; she was in a car accident. She was a little wrecked, but the last I heard, she was alive" Harper explained. Eddie nodded, interested in the topic.

"Wait, what was your partners name?" he asked once again.

"Uh…Charlotte. Charlotte Varonis. Don't tell anyone, but I kinda have a crush on her" Harper exclaimed, blushing slightly. Eddie chuckled.

"Sly bastard" he replied, receiving a playful punch on the arm from Harper.

**- Later, New York City Downtown Hospital -**

The receptionist glanced up from her computer as Eddie headed to her desk.

"Hi, I'm looking for a girl named Sarah. She was in a car accident," he said, making her look to her computer for information.

"She's in Room 12" the receptionist replied with a smile. Eddie thanked her and made his way down the corridor. Once he reached the room, he headed inside to find her watching a TV screwed into the wall. She didn't notice him until he slammed the door behind him, making her jump. Her hair was as dark as night and she had stitches to the side of her forehead. They stood in silence for a few seconds before Sarah broke it.

"Who are yo-wait, you're Eddie, right? You started dating that new girl?" she asked.

"That's me, I thought I'd stop by. So, what exactly happened to you?" he replied, pulling up a chair next to her hospital bed.

"Oh, well, I was walking home from school and I heard a weird beeping noise. My phone was switched off, but I could still hear it nearby. I looked underneath a car and saw a bomb, an ACTUAL bomb. I started running, but I got caught in the blast. I woke up in here the day after" Sarah explained whilst Eddie listened intriguingly.

"What about your friend? Do you know what happened to her?" he asked in response.

"Who, Charlotte? I don't really know, the police were here when I woke up, they said they were looking for her. They think she's the one who planted the bombs on her dad car and the one which nearly killed me," Sarah explained.

"Let me guess, Charlotte's not the kind of person to do that?" Eddie asked.

"Exactly, I tried telling them that, but they said she had the most obvious alibi. Her mom had died the night before when them two buildings came down," Sarah continued. Eddie remembered that night perfectly; he saw it whilst patrolling the streets as Phobia.

"Do you have any idea where Charlotte could be?" he asked.

"Not a clue, it was nice talking to you though Eddie. You seem like a nice guy once people get to know you, me and Charlotte always used to watch you in the cafeteria" Sarah finished, making Eddie's eyes widen.

"Really?" he asked, almost amazed.

"Uh-huh. Charlotte had the biggest crush on you before you met Clea" Sarah said. Eddie chuckled slightly.

"Well, see you, Sarah" he said, making her wave goodbye as he exited her room.

"Strach, you've still got a way with the ladies" he said to himself before heading back down the corridor.

"_Mental Note: NEVER say that again_" he thought to himself.

**- Later -**

Batman typed furiously as searched for a lead on Phobia's identity. So far, he had no evidence, no DNA and those fake gloves and gas canisters he'd made were wiped clean of fingerprints. He was smarter than they thought. Suddenly, a voice blared from his radio headset.

"_Cat to Bat, Cat to Bat, do you copy Bat? Over_" Catwoman's voice asked jokingly.

"What is it, Catwoman?" Batman replied in his usual tough guy voice.

"_Any leads on Phobia?_ _I'm freezing my ass off out here_" Catwoman asked, sounding annoyed.

"_Same here_" Daredevil's voice sounded afterwards. Batman rolled his eyes.

"I'm looking as hard as I can. Only call in if you find anything on Phobia" he replied, sounding annoyed.

"_Over and out_" Catwoman said.

"_Ditto_" Daredevil finished. Batman continued typing, only to be interrupted by another voice.

"_Uh…hello? Is anybody there?_" the frail teenage voice asked, making Batman's eyebrows rise.

"_Who is this?_" he asked, concerned.

"_This is…wait, is that you Batman? It's Raven, remember?_" the voice asked in response.

"Oh, Raven. I was wondering when you'd find the radio headset" Batman replied.

"_What's the headset for?_" Raven asked.

"For emergencies. If you ever need help, call and either me, Catwoman or Daredevil will come to assist you. That and if you have anything on Phobia?" Batman finished.

"_Wait, you're looking for Phobia?_" Raven asked.

"Yes, we need to stop him from using the fear toxin" Batman explained.

"_Well, I know who he is_" Raven replied, making Batman's heart skip a beat.

"What?" he replied instantly.

"_Look, I can't tell you everything now, where can I meet you?_" Raven asked.

"I have a Safehouse in an old apartment building near the docks. You know where it is?" Batman asked in response.

"_I'll find you tomorrow morning, over and out_" Raven finished.

**- Hell's Kitchen -**

Catwoman leaped across another alleyway and onto the next building ahead of her. The wind blew against her face, making her feel like she was flying. But as she noticed the crimson-clad vigilante gazing out over city, she slowed down as she reached the same rooftop. She headed over to him, a look bewilderment plastered on her face. It was when she reached him that she saw he wasn't wearing his mask.

"How's the search going?" he asked, not even turning his head. Catwoman stood beside him, looking out at the same landscape. The skyscrapers, the lights, everything the metropolis had to offer.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Daredevil asked, still focused on the skyline.

"Yeah, it's ama-wait, I thought you were blind?" Catwoman asked curiously, making Daredevil turn to face her.

"Still true, but I remember this view from when I was a kid. I hope it hasn't changed much," he said, looking back out to the skyline.

"I know what you mean, you should see Gotham from places like this. They're almost similar, but they seem more familiar" Catwoman said, making Daredevil raise his eyebrows.

"Wow, I never figured Catwoman as a poet," he said as she gazed into his glazed eyes.

"I never figured Daredevil as a blind guy" she responded, giving him a pat on the ass and making him jolt slightly. He grinned at her.

"Didn't see that comin' did you?" Catwoman joked. They both laughed about it for a few minutes, but when they calmed down, they turned to each other.

"It's nice talking to somebody who understands you" Daredevil said, turning his whole body to face Catwoman.

"Yeah, somebody who knows what you've lost" she replied, doing the same, also taking a step towards him.

"Somebody who knows what it's like being alone" he said, also slowly heading towards her.

"Somebody who feels the same way about those creeps who walk the streets" she said, their faces were now just inches apart.

"Somebody…" Daredevil trailed off as his face moved closer to Catwoman's.

"Somebody…" she repeated as their lips finally connected. The two vigilantes, the cat and devil, the black and the red, standing together on that rooftop, his arms inched around her waist as hers reached around his neck. Through his radar sense, he could hear her heart beating erratically. Soon, her kissing became harder, her tongue exploring the inner workings of his mouth as she pushed herself against him. Until finally, he realised what he was doing and pulled away, not wanting the kiss to end. As he did so, a look of hurt appeared on Catwoman's face.

"I…I'm sorry. I was…I didn't…I have to go" Daredevil tried to explain, pulling his mask back on and heading away. But before he could go any further, a leather-gloved hand reached out and stopped him. He turned to face her; he could see tears brimming in her eyes through his radar sense.

"Please, don't go. Stay with me" she asked, her voice breaking. Daredevil could tell she meant it, he could tell if anybody meant anything. He reached out and removed her leather helmet; allowing shoulder length, black hair to fall freely. He reached up a gloved hand and brushed a strand behind her ear, making her smile.

"I'll stay with you" he replied, pulling her back in for more. The two kissed passionately as the night continued, even the stars seemed to shine brighter.

**A/N: Wow, I am good. Maybe too good. I hope not. Anyway, remember, the links for JCPablo's story are on my profile. Laters readers. **


	11. The Joker and The Kingpin

**A/N: Hey guys, right now I'm completely at a loss for things to say in these authors' notes. So, I'm going to continue straight into the story. **

**- Meanwhile -**

**(MUST'VE READ JCPablo's STORY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH JESSICA. LINK ON MY PROFILE)**

Eddie headed down the street, his duffel bag swung over his shoulder and his Phobia costume neatly folded inside. The streetlights shone down on him, giving his hair a yellow neon appearance. He reached up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, yawning once finished.

"_Man, scaring the crap out people REALLY takes it out of you_" he thought to himself, swinging his head to get his hair out his eyes. As he noticed the familiar coffee place on the corner, a grin spread across his face.

"_I could use a pick me up_," he thought, hastily making his way across the street. As he opened the glass double-doors, Jessica looked up, making a similar grin appear on her face.

"Eddie, long time, no see" she greeted as he sat down at the same stool.

"Good to see you again, Jessica. I'll have the same as last time, please?" he replied with a smile. She headed over to the coffee machine and returned with another black coffee.

"You better be able to pay for it this time," she threatened in a friendly way.

"Sure, how much?" Eddie asked, reaching into his back pockets.

"$2.25" Jessica replied, holding out her hand. Eddie's hand emerged, holding the correct amount of change. He placed it in her hand and she placed it in the cash register.

"So, how've you been?" she asked.

"Can't complain. What about you? How's things with your job?" Eddie replied before taking a sip of his coffee.

"It's going well. I've been having a friend staying over" Jessica replied, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Cool, by the way, thanks for the advice you gave me. It's really helped and I've felt really better" Eddie thanked, making Jessica smile.

"You're welco-what are those boys holding?" she trailed off, looked over at the window. Eddie followed her gaze, causing dread to flood his soul. Outside, holding bottles of vodka and a few rags, were Doug, Donald and Connor, each with an evil grin on their faces.

"Oh my God, they're going to do it again," Eddie said to himself, making Jessica look at him.

"What'd you say, honey?" she asked, slightly confused. Eddie downed the last of his coffee and headed out the door. On the way out, he bumped into a girl with long, orange locks and carrying a bundle of black clothes.

"Sorry" Eddie apologised, quickly heading past her.

"That's okay" she called after him, heading inside the coffee place. Jessica smiled as she recognized the customer.

"You okay, Charlotte?" she asked cheerfully.

"Sort of, I'm meeting somebody tomorrow…" Charlotte began explaining.

**- Eddie's Apartment Building-**

Doug, Donald and Connor headed up the stairs and along the corridor until they reached Eddie's apartment. Doug grinned as he pulled a cigarette lighter out of his pocket. He pulled off the cork out of the bottle and soaked the rag in vodka. He turned to his friends as he placed it under the door.

"Okay guys, we need more fire than last time so they can't get out" he explained. But Donald and Connor had worried looks.

"Man, aren't we going a little bit too far?" Connor asked, making Doug glare at him.

"Too far? That little son of a bitch got me suspended again; we have to do this so he knows what happens when he messes with us. That way, he'll never get us suspended again. Now give me a hand," he ordered, tossing them the bottle of vodka. Donald caught it and let out a worried sigh. Him and Connor repeated the process and placed the rags under the door. Doug grinned as the small flame erupted from the lighter, illuminating his face. He held the flame above the rags, slowly loosening his grip.

"I hope you weren't planning to drop that," a muffled voice said from the end of the corridor. All at once, they turned their heads to the source of the voice. Standing by the open window, was Phobia, fear toxin glowing inside his metal gauntlets.

"Oh Christ, that's Phobia. Screw this, Doug. You're on your own," Donald said, running towards the stairs.

"Ditto" Connor replied, following close behind. Doug just stood in horror as the vigilante headed towards him and stopped inches away. Phobia extended his hand to Doug.

"Give me the lighter or else," he threatened. Doug slowly placed the lighter in his hands and ran towards the stairs. Phobia closed his hands, crushing the lighter in his palm. He pulled the rags out from under the door and growled.

"_If I let him go now. He'll try again_," he thought, heading back out of the window and up the fire escape.

**- Doug's Apartment -**

Doug quickly ran inside and closed the door behind him, snapping the lock shut. He glanced through the peephole to make sure he wasn't followed, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. Once he saw the coast was clear, he let out a chuckle and headed into the living room. However, he became weary when he noticed the window was open, when he'd made sure it was closed before he left. He headed over and closed it, his heart racing as he did so. But his heart briefly stopped once he turned to see Phobia standing in the kitchen doorway.

"How…how did you get here so fast?" Doug asked, his voice a mixture of fear and rage.

"The next best thing to flying: Roof Travel" Phobia replied, maintaining a fighting pose. Doug let out a scream and charged at him, pushing him into the kitchen. Phobia was pushed back against the fridge as Doug repeatedly hit him in the mask.

"Let's see who's under that mask," Doug said, slowly moving his hand towards the straps. But Phobia grabbed his hand, headbutted him and kicked him in the stomach, sending Doug flying back into the living room. Doug got up off the ground, but Phobia grabbed him by the neck and pinned him against the wall. Phobia began repeatedly hitting Doug in the face, each punch getting faster and faster. Finally, he stopped, raising his needle tipped hands and running them across Doug's neck. Doug whimpered as a trickle of blood poured out of his nose.

"I've seen what you've done, kid. And I'd be doing the whole world a favour if I killed you now" Phobia said demonically, almost as if Eddie had disappeared from behind the mask.

"No…please…you can't…" Doug begged, tears trickling down his cheeks.

"GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T?" Phobia yelled, making Doug sob even more. Eddie had heard all of Doug's lies, his pranks, his excuses; he was ready for anything Doug had to throw at him.

"Because…i-if I die…my dad'll have nothing to live for" he choked out.

Except that.

Slowly, Phobia lowered his fingers, dropping his arm to his side.

"Your…your dad?" he asked, Eddie slowly returned.

"My mom…she died when I was a kid…I-I was so angry, I couldn't find a way to get rid of it all. So, I decided to take it out on other people, making them feel how I felt. My dad…he was so depressed, I walked in on him when he was about to hang himself. I got him down and I made him promise that he wouldn't do it again. I just wanted people to feel my pain, I never wanted it to get this far" Doug explained, silently sobbing as Phobia loosened his grip around his neck, letting him drop to the floor. Phobia looked on in sadness as Doug wept, revealing his true nature.

"I'm sorry for everything I've done. I promise I won't do it anymore, I'll be a nicer person, please don't kill me" Doug begged, looking up at Phobia, who secretly had a tear forming in his eye. He slowly backed away, heading towards the window. Once out on the fire escape, he looked back in at Doug.

"I forgive you, I had no idea" Phobia replied, closing the window behind him and heading up to the roof. He ran and jumped across every roof, not wanting to let his tears go until he felt safe. It was only when he reached the fire escape and climbed down until he reached the one window he knew would let him in. He tapped on the glass before reaching up and removing his mask. The purple curtains opened, allowing Clea to see who was at her window. She slid it open and looked into Eddie's eye, tears threatening to seep over the edges. A look of sadness crossed her face.

"What happened?" she asked, just before Eddie let the tears go.

"I-I went t-too far again," he sobbed, burying his head into her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back comfortingly. Eddie was too depressed to notice a similar tear beginning to roll down her cheek.

**- The Next Morning -**

Batman rubbed his eyes as he headed across the room to the BatComputer, its bright lights flashing as it powered up for the day. He yawned as he sat at the chair in front of it.

"_Ugh…Alfred's right. I really should take a power nap every once in a while_" he thought to himself as he looked at the Latest News Feeds. His gaze became attracted to a news article entitled: **CLAYFACE IN NEW YORK. LATEST VIGILANTE "RAVEN" APPREHENDS**. He raised his eyebrows, impressed at the young hero's efforts. His head spun around as he heard a creaking at the window. He relaxed as the winged girl climbed inside, a plastic bag swung over her shoulder. Once she'd closed the window, she headed over to where Batman sat.

"Nice to see you again" he greeted, as Raven reached inside the bag.

"You too" she replied, producing a cup of Starbucks Coffee.

"I didn't know what you had, so I got a regular," she said, handing it to him. He grinned and took it from her grasp, instantly raising it to his lips and taking a big gulp. Raven retrieved her own coffee from the bag and did the same. Batman placed the coffee on the ground beside him and wiped his lips on his arm. He noticed a small orange stain on the bottom of her skirt, dried into the fabric.

"Uh…you have something on your skirt" he said, making Raven groan as she tried rubbing it off.  
>"Sorry, I got it from last night. I've tried getting it out" she replied.<p>

"Clayface, right?" Batman asked, making her eyes widen.

"How did you know?" she asked, making him bring up the article on the screen.

"News travels fast in New York. You're on your way to becoming a fully-fledged hero" Batman complimented, making her blush slightly.

"Coming from you, it's an honour. Wait…you said you were with Catwoman and Daredevil, right?" she asked, glancing round the room. Batman got up and headed over to the window.

"They were out on patrol the last I checked. I'll send out an S.O.S. beacon, they'll have to return to base," he explained, reaching up to his earpiece.

**- Hell's Kitchen, Matt Murdoch's Apartment -**

The sound of birds chirping filled Matt's ears as he slowly rose from his slumber. He stretched and yawned as he felt the heat of the sun embrace him. He reached over to his side table and began tapping, sending his electric blue senses across the room. Once he recognised the remnants of his costume scattered across the room, he grinned as he remembered the events of last night. He removed his covers, the cold draft making him realise he had no boxers on. After applying a new pair, he began placing his costume back on, but as he reached for his mask, he felt another one beside it. He began moving his hand across the leather surface, his fingertips making out the shape of cat ears. He grinned to himself.

"She's still here," he said to himself, placing his mask on in the process. With Catwoman's mask under his arm, he began making his way up to the roof. Once at the top, he tapped the ground with his left foot, sending more waves across the roof, also showing the silhouette of a curvaceous woman. Catwoman stood near the edge of the building; her eyes were closed as she breathed in the new morning air. A small smile spread across her face as two, red clad arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a reverse hug. Daredevil leaned in and gently kissed her on the cheek, making her smile even more.

"Morning" he greeted, she giggled and turned to face him, her black hair blowing in the wind.

"Good morning" she replied, pulling him in for a long kiss, almost like the one they had yesterday. They separated, allowing Catwoman to gaze back into his mirrored eyes. Daredevil held out her mask, waiting for her to take it.

"You left this behind" he explained as she took it from his grasp and placed it on.

"Thanks" she replied, about to pull him back for more. Unfortunately for them, a beeping suddenly erupted from each of their earpieces. They simultaneously reached up for their earpieces and pressed the Button with the Bat Insignia.

"What is it?" they said in unison.

"_I need you two to get back here now. Raven's just told me everything about Phobia and you need a briefing_" Batman explained.

"We'll be back soon" Daredevil replied.

"_Over and out_" Batman finished as the feed went silent. Daredevil looked at Catwoman with a grin.

"You want a race?" she asked, a similar grin now spreading over her face.

**- The Safehouse -**

"So wait, Phobia's in High School?" Daredevil asked Raven, sounding as confused as ever. He sat on the ramshackle sofa, Catwoman at his side. Raven sat on an old stool opposite them.

"Yes, he's in my Science Class. I've known for while now. So, what are we going to do?" Raven asked, making all heads turn to Batman who sat typing away at the BatComputer.

"I'm working on it" he replied, not even turning to face them. Catwoman decided to have her input.

"There's still one thing I don't understand, why would this kid suddenly want to continue Scarecrow's work?" she asked.

"Maybe he was a fan" Daredevil guessed.

"Or he's continuing the family business" Batman corrected, making all heads turn to him again.

"What?" Raven asked, heading over to Batman as he brought up Eddie's student records.

"I was doing some research on him and came across this in his student records. Apparently, Eddie has no recorded birth father. But look at this, Eddie was born January 12th 1997, nine months before that, Scarecrow broke out of Arkham and headed to New York" he explained, Daredevil and Catwoman headed over and stood behind him.

"Two-Face said Scarecrow broke out again to see him on his first birthday, did he break out again?" Daredevil asked, remembering the "conversation" they'd previously had with the prisoner.

"Yes, one year later on the exact same day. Two-Face said he brought him a package, whatever was inside must be connected" Batman explained, suddenly Raven's eyes widened.

"The Necklace" she said out loud. Batman turned to face her, confusion spread all over his face.

"What necklace?" he asked, concerned.

"The day those bullies in my school had panic attacks, Eddie put something orange in their foods. He had it in a necklace thing with a vial on the end" Raven explained, making Batman turn back to the BatComputer.

"Of course, that explains how they got infected with the fear toxin. Scarecrow must've given him the necklace when he was a kid and, when the time came, he could continue Scarecrow's work from beyond the grave" Batman concluded.

"But wait, how come when Scarecrow came back to Arkham he seemed all depressed?" Daredevil asked.

"We'll have to figure it out later. Right now, we need to convince Eddie to give up the toxin" Batman said.

"What do we do? Just go to his house and say to his mom: Hi, we're here to convince your son to stop being a fear spreading vigilante?" Catwoman asked, making Batman rub his chin.

"We'll have to find him whilst he's on patrol, if any of us see him, we should radio in on our location so we can all get him at once" Raven suggested.

"Good idea, we'll head out tonight. I'll scout the North Part of the city, Daredevil will take the west, Catwoman will take the East and Raven, you'll take the South. If this works, Phobia will be finished by tomorrow" Batman concluded.

"This is going to be good" Daredevil said.

**- Wilson Fisk aka. The Kingpin's Office Building -**

**(I'm basing this Kingpin off the one from the Daredevil Movie. The office is the same as the movie too)**

Kingpin headed through the lobby as three men in suits followed close behind him. One of them handed him a folder marked 'CONFIDENTIAL', it was the records of the crimes Phobia had stopped. Kingpin gritted his teeth as he read them.

"Seriously? Five of my men in almost a week?" he asked, making all three men nod.

"Yes, they all say the same thing. They were all stopped by this Phobia" he explained, making Kingpin narrow his eyes.

"Try to get a lead on who he is, I'll be in my office" he instructed. Each of the men nodded as he stepped inside the elevator. The doors slowly closed and he began to rise up to his office. He began making his way across the marble floor, the room a green hue with glass pillars of water placed across the floor and on the walls. Suddenly, the leather chair opposite his desk spun around, making his eyes widen. Sitting in it was a man with chalk, white skin, ruby lips formed into a horrific grin, green hair, all topped off with a purple suit and tie.

"Ah, Mr. Fisk, I've been expecting you" greeted, cackling slightly. Kingpin narrowed his eyes at the intruder.

"You're Joker, right? I thought you got arrested a few days ago" he said.

"I did, but on the way back to Gotham, the guards died of a…unfortunate accident" Joker replied, giggling evilly.

"What kind of accident?" Kingpin asked, obviously not buying it.

"I broke out of my cuffs and placed a bomb in the driver's compartment. There was a huge mess; I was only supposed to blow the bloody doors off" Joker replied with a grin. Kingpin started walking back towards the elevator.

"Where are you going? I just wanted to talk" Joker called after him, Kingpin turned back to face him. The lift numbers began to change, indicating that somebody was coming up.

"I'm not talking to you, but whilst you were explaining, I set off a silent alarm in my pocket. Right now, my guards are on their way up" he replied, grinning as the lift doors began to open. But his smile faded as he saw the elevator's contents. Standing in the elevator was a woman with blonde hair, put up in pigtails, wearing a red and black leather costume with matching boots. Her face had been painted white with black eyeliner and red lipstick. Behind her, two security guards laid dead on the ground, both of their throats cut. The woman produced a blood stained knife from behind her back, her other arm on her hip.

"Did you mean those guys?" she asked, gesturing to the corpses. Kingpin narrowed his eyes at the woman and turned back to face Joker.

"Wanna talk to me now?" he asked, leaning back in the leather chair and placing his feet on the desk. Kingpin sighed.

"Fine" he agreed, heading back over to him. Joker looked past him towards his girlfriend.

"Harley, wait downstairs. And if anybody comes up…" he said before raising his thumb to his throat and dragging it across like a knife.

"Sure thing, Mistah J" she replied before heading back inside the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, Kingpin began speaking.

"You hooked yourself a keeper, I see?" he said, chuckling slightly.

"You have no idea, Fisk. Or is it Kingpin?" Joker asked in return.

"I prefer Kingpin when I'm not in public" Kingpin replied, heading across to the mini bar near the wall. As he reached for it, he heard a gun getting cocked behind him. He turned his head to see Joker aiming a pistol at him.

"What are you doing, Tubby?" he said, more serious than before.

"Getting a drink, why? Did you want one?" he asked. Joker thought for a second before placing the pistol back in his trousers.

"Scotch on the rocks" Joker said, Kingpin obliged and poured him a glass. He headed back over to the desk and sat opposite Joker.  
>"So, why are you here?" Kingpin asked as Joker took a sip of his drink.<p>

"My dear Kingpin, I'm here because we both face a similar problem: Friggin' Vigilantes" he explained.

"Go on" Kingpin instructed, obviously interested.

"On the night I got captured, it was that little munchkin Phobia who got to me. I've noticed that you've been losing a lot of men to him, am I right?" Joker asked, making Kingpin nod.

"Continue," he instructed.

"Well, since we have the same target in mind, I figured we could from an…alliance. That way, we can both get what we want," Joker continued, still grinning.

"Why on God's earth would I join forces with you?" Kingpin asked, taking a swig of his drink.

"Think about it for a second. Me, the infamous clown prince of crime and you, the leader of all organized crime in New York. Together, that hell-raiser doesn't stand a chance. And besides, after we're done with him, we can take on our second order of business" Joker explained, making Kingpin raise his eyebrow.

"What second order?" he asked.

"Do you remember that little store robbery not so long ago?" Joker asked, making Kingpin's eye narrow.

"Yeah, that owner owed me money. Since he wouldn't pay us up front, I decided to take of his store. I sent a few of my guys to give him the message, but then…" he trailed off, allowing Joker to butt in.

"Some girl with wings arrived and saved the day. I read the paper, her name's Raven and she's beginning to be a pain in my ass too" he finished, producing the latest newspaper and tossing it to him.

"Who's Clayface?" Kingpin asked.

"A pal of mine back in Arkham, after I broke out, I figured I'd need some form of security. So, I broke him out with me and took him here. Who do you think popped the bomb in the police van after I got captured? Unfortunately, the police got him before he could get back to base. He would've escaped too if it wasn't for that pesky little bird. She took him down last night, never thought she'd have it in her" Joker finished, taking another big gulp from his Scotch.

"What does this have to do with me?" Kingpin asked, not following.

"Think about it Fisk, they're both making their way up the Most Wanted list. Phobia took down me; Raven took down Clayface, who do you thinks at the top of the food chain? You, sooner or later" Joker explained gravely. Kingpin thought this over, knowing Joker as right.

"You may have a point there, but I may need a favour from Phobia" he explained, making Joker's eyes widen.

"WHAT? Are you with me or against me, Fisk? Do you want me to call Harley back up?" he threatened angrily. Kingpin chuckled at the Joker's overreaction.

"Let me explain, I've been planning a bank heist for a while now. I've been working out the plans, but I'm going to need two more things" Kingpin explained before reaching into his desk and passing Joker the bank's blueprints. He looked them over, nodding ever so often.

"What do you need?" he asked, sounding interested.

"Most of my men are in jail, so I'll need some help from yours if you have any" Kingpin replied.

"I may have a few still breathing. What else?" Joker replied, almost like a child guessing what his Christmas present is.

"Phobia, I'll need him to be brought here alive. When I'm done with him, you can do what you want. Then, you and me will go after Raven" Kingpin said, grinning away.

"That's a pretty good plan, Fisk. So, do we have a deal?" Joker asked, raising his scotch. Kingpin reached for his and they clinked glasses.

"Deal" he replied, they both downed their drink, laughing happily.

"Kingpin, my boy. This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship" Joker said, his tone a mixture of seriousness and glee.

**A/N: Sorry for the long update guys, but look on the bright side…THIS STORY HAS PASSED THE 1000 HITS MARK THANKS TO YOU GUYS! (Virtual Group-hug). Laters and I'll see you next time. Cheerio. **


	12. The Cost of Survival

**A/N: Wow…I've actually run out of stuff to say. Umm…I'm going to see the 'Avengers' Movie next weekend. That's it. That's all I've got. Well, I'll see you at the bottom. **

**- Later, Daybreak High School, Lunch -**

"Hey kid, you going to order or stare into space all day?" the lunch lady asked, making Eddie snap out of his trance.

"Oh right, sorry. Umm…Tuna Sandwich please" he ordered, she placed a plastic wrapped Tuna Sandwich into his tray and he gave her the money needed. Eddie sighed as he walked off; he'd been thinking about what happened to Doug the night before. It was like he'd disappeared all together, almost like he was his…father. He blocked out the horrid possibility, he'd promised himself that he wouldn't go that far. But as he continued thinking, he noticed that he was passing Doug's table. As usual, Donald stuck out his foot, attempting to trip Eddie up. But strangely, Doug kicked him under the table, making him retract his foot.

"Dude, what was that for?" Donald asked, rubbing his sore ankle.

"Leave Strach alone. He's cool" Doug said, giving Eddie a grin as he walked passed.

"_Did that REALLY just happen?_" he thought as he came to his table, it would be a normal lunch again. Just him and Clea…and Harper? Eddie sat down beside his new friend and nudged him, letting him know he'd arrived. Harper turned his head; he'd previously been talking to Clea.

"Eddie, have you seen what happened to Doug?" he asked, pointing over at the reformed psychopath.

"Yeah, that's strange" Eddie replied, trying to sound oblivious.

"Strange? That's freaking Twilight Zone. Do you know anything?" Clea asked, looking at Eddie. That night he went to see her, he hadn't told her what he did, it was too painful. The truth was in his mouth, but instead, he did the one thing he'd never wanted to do to her.

"No".

Lie.

**- The Safehouse -**

**(MUST'VE READ JCPablo's deviantART STORY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH IVY. LINK ON MY PROFILE)**

Batman looked across the city from the gargoyle he perched upon. He scanned each and every rooftop for signs of movement, or orange light. It was easier when tracking crime in Gotham, but New York was another story. It was full of new passageways, alleys, hideouts, you name it. He'd had to memorise a whole new city in just one day, making his job of finding Phobia even harder. He lost his concentration when his earpiece buzzed. He raised his fingers to the plastic button and pressed.

"Batman here" he announced, awaiting a reply.

"_It's Gordon. How's the hunt going_?" an elderly voice replied.

"Not as well as expected. How are things back there? Gotham falling apart without me?" Batman asked.

"_That's actually what I came to talk to you about; we've had a few breakouts since you've left. Apparently, now you've left for a while, they feel a sense of freedom they get when you're not around. No offence_" Gordon replied.

"None taken. Who's broken out?" Batman asked, his tone now serious.

"_Well, when Joker was being taken back to the Asylum after Phobia got him, somebody planted a bomb in the driver's compartment, when we found the wreckage; there was no sign of Joker_" Gordon explained.

"Is Harley missing too?" Batman asked.

"_Is it that obvious?_" Gordon asked in response.

"He doesn't go anywhere without her. Who else?" Batman asked a third time.

"_Well, Clayface is still missing after Raven took him down and there have been no eyewitnesses. And just a few hours ago, Poison Ivy escaped from her cell. Eyewitnesses say they saw hey, Harley and Joker escaping on a boat_" Gordon explained, making Batman rub his eyes in frustration.

"Great, not only am I looking for Crane's son, I've got four of my greatest enemies in the same city" he said, sounding irritated.

"_Tell me about it. Oh, by the way, we've found something strange about Crane's death_" Gordon said, making Batman listen eagerly.

"What?" he asked.

"_Well, we finished searching the apartment's remains yesterday and we found something_" Gordon asked.

"Was something wrong with his remains?" Batman asked.

"_No. No remains_" Gordon replied.

"Then what was so strange?" Batman asked, sounding confused.

"_Didn't you just hear me, there were NO remains_" Gordon explained, making Batman's heart stop for a second.  
>"What? There must be a mistake, I saw him die right in front of me. Did you go over again just in case?" Batman asked, refusing to believe his ears.<p>

"_Batman, we've been over the apartment three times. There's nothing to say that Crane was in that building. Not even remnants of his costume_" Gordon finished. Batman took a second to process what he'd just heard.

"But…I saw Crane get crushed. There's no way he could be…unless-" he got cut off by another transmission.

"Jim, I have another call, I'll speak to you soon" Batman said.

"_Good luck_" Gordon replied, seconds before the dial tone hit Batman's ears. He released his finger from the first button and pressed the second one beneath it.

"Batman here" he announced again, this time getting a reply from a seductive female voice.

"_Batman, we have a problem. Raven's gone_" Catwoman said, sounding scared.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Batman said, fear creeping into his voice.  
>"<em>I tried talking to her through the radio, but she got cut off by something. I went to find her, but all I could find was her earpiece<em>" Catwoman continued nervously.

"Well, we have to try and find her, besides; I have a few old friends of mine to search for in this city. Radio Daredevil and tell him to report back to base" Batman instructed.

"_Over and out_" Catwoman replied. Batman released his grip on the earpiece and jumped from the gargoyle, his cape allowing him to glide on the cold night air.

- **Meanwhile** -

Phobia's legs dangled over the edge of the building as he gazed out over the city in a similar style as Batman. His metal gauntlets glowed brightly as they rested on the concrete roof. He'd been up there for almost an hour, thinking about the choices he'd made, mostly regarding Doug.

"_I can't believe I did that, that's not like me at all. I'm becoming a power mad psycho, almost like my…dad. No. NO! I am never going to become like him, ever. I'm not a monster_" he thought to himself, it wasn't until he saw what was happening near the big corporate building opposite from him. In the back alley, a blonde haired woman wearing a black and red leather outfit was dragging a familiar figure's unconscious body in the back entrance. The costume was new, but he easily recognised the get-up from a news report he'd read. And the woman in red and black was easy to recognise from previous Gotham News reports.

"Raven? Why does Harley Quinn have her?" he whispered to himself. Once Harley dragged Raven's unconscious body inside, Phobia dropped down into the alleyway and followed her inside. He watched as Harley entered the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. To avoid being detected, Phobia made his way up the stairs, praying to God that he wasn't too late. By the time he'd reached the top floor, he was panting for air, eagerly awaiting the elevator's arrival. Ducking in the stairwell, he watched as Harley dragged the young superheroine inside an office. He opened the door slightly, listening in to the conversation and waiting for the aftermath. His eyes widened behind his visors as he saw the room's occupants.

"_JOKER? HARLEY? POISON IVY? KINGPIN? WHY ARE THEY ALL HERE?"_ he thought to himself as Harley dragged Raven's body towards Kingpin's desk. He'd heard of and seen all these enemies in the news, but he'd never thought he'd see them in person.

"Come on! She's not that heavy!" he heard Joker yell as Harley placed Raven on the Kingpin's desk.

"What do you need her for?" he heard Ivy ask as Joker headed over to Raven.

"She's been causing me and Kingpin trouble. I say, this is quite easy. We can kill her right now," he snickered, "One less pawn"

"_Kill her?_" Phobia thought as he watched the scene unfold.

"Whatever. How long is this going to be?" Ivy asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

"A few minutes. But Mistah J knows for sure" Harley chimed in her annoying childish voice.

"Yeah, just a few minutes" Joker said, reaching inside his coat. Phobia gasped as he saw Joker wield a knife.

"I'll be outside" Ivy said, heading towards the door. Phobia was caught between two decisions:

Run in case Ivy sees him and leave Raven to perish

Try to save her and die trying

Eddie narrowed his eyes as he realised what he was trying to prove. That he was a hero. And if this is what a hero would do, then he should do it whatever the consequences. He got his gauntlets ready and prepared to barge in.

"Alright. Now to finish this off" he heard Joker cackle, seconds before breaking down the door.

"NO!" Phobia called out, making all eyes turn to face him. He didn't know if he was hearing things, but he could've sworn he'd heard Ivy say the same thing. All eyes turned on him; almost all of them were narrowed.

"Well, look what the cat crapped on the rug" Joker said, moving his knife away from Raven's throat. Kingpin noticed this and cracked his knuckles.

"Listen, just let Raven go" Phobia ordered, raising his gauntlets in self-defence. Joker raised and eyebrow and chuckled.

"Give me one good reason why I should?" he said, twiddling the knife in his hand. Phobia took a deep breath and said what had to be said. It could've killed him, but it would've been worth it.

"If you let her go, you can have me," he replied. The room went silent as Joker considered this trade.

"He's bluffin'. Slice her and dice her, Mistah J" Harley accused, turning to face her boyfriend. However, Joker raised his hand to silence her.

"Quiet, Harley. Mistah J's trying to think," he said, turning from her to Phobia.

"You do realise that if I let her go, I could easily kill you" Joker threatened, his grin reflected in the stainless steel of the knife. No matter how much he put him off, Phobia still stood tall.

"I. Don't. Care" he replied, taking a breath between each word. Joker widened his eyes at this.

"Hmm…okay kid. You've got a deal" he said, suddenly, Raven began to stir and her eyes slowly opened.

"Huh…wh-where am I-" she tried to speak, but Harley elbowed her in the face, once again knocking her out.

"STOP!" Ivy suddenly called out, making everybody look at her. Her face turned red as she realised what she'd said. She slowly moved towards Raven and picked her up.

"I mean… she's suffered enough. You take care of Phobia, I'll take her somewhere safe. Just in case he tries anything" Ivy said, trying to sound convincing.

"I have a spare warehouse on Broke Street, you can hide her there" Kingpin said, making Ivy nod in response. But, as she headed out of room with Raven, she glanced at Phobia.

"Thank you" Ivy mouthed as she exited the office. Phobia was confused. Why would Ivy act so protective over Raven? He shook it off and turned back to face the three of them.

"So, why di-" he said before Kingpin's punch cut him off. He dropped to the ground, glancing back up as Harley raised her boot over his head.

"Sweet Nightmares" she joked, before finally bringing her foot down on his face.

**- The Safehouse -**

Catwoman sat on the dust-covered sofa, nervously tapping her fingers on the arm. On the other side of the room, Batman furiously typed at the Bat-Computer, he'd been trying to track Raven ever since he'd heard she was missing. And Daredevil was just pacing back and forth in the middle of the room. After minutes of silence, Catwoman finally broke it.

"Ugh, what if Joker got to her? What if she's dead?" she panicked, Daredevil stopped his pacing and turned to face her.

"She'll be okay, Selina. Don't worry, have you found anything, Batman?" he reassured, turning back to the Caped Crusader.

"There have been no Police Reports, no Eyewitness sightings, nothing. If Raven's still alive, she's off the grid" Batman replied grimly, creating another eerie silence in the room.

"Don't worry. For all we know, she could be heading back here as we speak" Daredevil said, seconds before the window creaked. All heads turned to the window as a woman with light green skin, red hair and wearing an Arkham Prisoner Uniform climbed inside. Aside from Daredevil, Catwoman and Batman knew this adversary too well.

"Ivy, Daredevil, get your nun-chuck…pickaxe…thing ready" Catwoman warned, preparing her claws for combat. Daredevil obliged and prepared his weapon in nun-chuck form. Batman drew a batarang from his Utility belt, getting ready for her first shot. However, the sight of Raven climbing in after her made them even more confused.

"Stand down, she's with me" she explained, standing in front of Ivy like a human shield.

"What are you talking about?" Batman asked, still not lowering his batarang. Raven looked to Ivy and turned back with a sigh.

"Guys…Ivy's my…mom" she choked out.

**- Kingpin's Office -**

Darkness. That's all Phobia could make out as he began to regain consciousness. He tried to move, but he couldn't budge. Was he paralysed? He could move his hands and feet, so that wasn't it. The darkness turned into blurred images as he opened his eyes. Soon, the blurs became moving figures; one for instance was a pale man with green hair and a purple suit. Finally, he regained his sight, looking down to see why he couldn't move. The fact he was tied to a chair seemed self explanatory. He looked up to see Harley heading over to him, grinning.

"Mornin' kid. Did you sleep well?" she joked, making him narrow his eyes.

"Go to Hell" he replied, his voice sounding demonic, even without the gas's effects.

"Nuh-uh-uh. That's not a nice thing to say to the people keeping you alive. Now, what do you say?" she asked, expecting an apology.

"Go to Hell PLEASE?" Phobia joked in response; Harley huffed like a child and turned on her heel. She headed over to Joker who was discussing Phobia's fate with Kingpin.

"Mistah J, that scary kid's bein' mean to me" she whined, making Joker head over to the tied up hero.

"Don't worry, Harley. Mr. Phobia will learn his place soon enough" he replied darkly. Joker knelt down slightly and looked into Phobia visors, studying the blank expression looking back.

"So, why would you want to continue Scarecrow's work?" he asked. Phobia remained silent as the clown awaited an outcome. Joker grinned and turned to face Harley.

"Harley, my dear. Take off the mask" he ordered, making Phobia's eyes grow wide behind his visors.

"Sure thing, Mistah J" she replied, skipping over to Phobia and humming a tune. First, she pulled back his hood, revealing a small portion of his jet-black hair. She reached for the straps and unhooked them, allowing the mask to drop to the floor. Joker looked on in confusion as a teenage boy stared back at him, anger growing in his eyes. Joker didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So he laughed.

"A kid? I got taken down by a friggin' kid?" he cackled, Eddie didn't really see the joke. Joker ceased his insipid laughter and grabbed Eddie's jaw, pinching it so Eddie would obey him.

"Tell me your name and why you're doing this?" he asked, almost sounding normal. Eddie sighed in defeat, realising he had no way out of this.

"My name's Eddie Strach" he said, instantly making Joker release his grip. His ruby grin turned to a partial frown; he slowly backed away from Eddie, not knowing what to say next. Harley and Kingpin exchanged confused looks, both noticing Joker's behaviour.

"Hey Clown, what's wrong with you?" Kingpin asked with a raised eyebrow. Joker turned to face his two allies and then turned so he was just facing Harley.

"Harls, remember all those years ago when Crane broke out and came to this city?" he asked.

"Umm…I think so. Why?" she asked, swinging her legs as she sat on Kingpin's desk.

"He told a few people about what he did, me included. He apparently got a girl from here pregnant, her last name was Strach too" Joker explained, his frown turning into a small grin. He spun around and dashed over to Eddie. He did a knee slide, stopping at eye level with Eddie.

"And that was about fifteen years ago. How old are you kid?" he asked, his grin now spreading from ear to ear.

"Fifteen" he replied, not even showing signs of regret. Joker got back up on his feet and began laughing again.

"So, it's true. Crane had a son" he cackled, leaning in close to Eddie's face.

"Crane told us everything, how he rode your mom like a roller-coaster, you should have seen the look on his face when he told us how just before he left, she told him she was pregnant. I spent that whole night wondering what a freak his kid could turn out to b-GAH, MARY, SON OF A-" he called out as Eddie spat straight into his eye. Once he'd wiped off the saliva, he growled, glaring straight at Eddie.

"You're going to regret than…wait a second, did your father tell you anything about Ivy per chance?" he asked, making confusion appear on Eddie's face.

"I never met him. What's so special about her anyway?" he asked in response. Joker covered his mouth, realising he'd said too much.

"Forget about it, we need to talk business," he said, changing the subject.

"I have no business with you" Eddie replied, spitting on the ground.

"That'll soon change, kid. Harley baby, looks like Eddie's going to need some…motivation," Joker instructed, saying the final word in a deeper tone. Harley chuckled and reached inside her top. After a few seconds of searching, she produced a small taser from in between her cleavage. Eddie's eyes widened at the spectacle.

"_How long was she hiding that in there?_" he thought as she skipped over to him, humming the same tune as before. She walked behind Eddie and pressed the taser's button, creating a small electrical charge. Without warning, she jammed it into Eddie back, causing him to scream out in pain as the charge shot through his body. Once she pulled it back, he gasped out in pain, tears almost streaming down his cheeks.

"How do like your flesh? Well done or medium rare?" she giggled, releasing her grip on button.

"I swear, if I wasn't tied up right now, I'd pin you to the ground and stick that taser where the sun never shines" Eddie threatened through gritted teeth. Harley chuckled at his empty threat.

"Looks like somebody needs more electroshock therapy" she chuckled, once again driving the taser into his back. He screamed as they waves continued digging into his spine, nearly paralysing him. Harley removed the device again and Joker headed over to Eddie again.

"You ready to talk yet?" he asked, hoping for him to comply. But Eddie just gasped for air, growling at his captor.

"I will never work with you" he spat out, making Joker's eyes narrow.

"Harley, grill him alive" he ordered, Eddie's eyes widened as he heard the sound of electric shocks coming from behind him. But before the pain hit his nerves, a shout sounded from the other side of the room.

"Joker, let him go" Kingpin ordered, making everyone in the room look at him. Eddie didn't know whether to be thankful or worried. Joker scowled at overweight mob-boss.

"Let him go? Are you crazy?" he said, heading over to him.

"If he doesn't want to work with us, there's no point in torturing him any longer" Kingpin said, giving Joker a wink. Joker grinned as he realised that Kingpin was going somewhere. He turned to face his blonde sidekick.

"You heard the many, Harley. Let him go" he ordered, making Harley groan and drop the taser to the ground. She untied Eddie, allowing him to stand freely. He reached down and picked up his mask, once again donning the identity of Phobia. Once he placed the mask on, he turned and headed for the door.

"Of course, this job we need you to do could benefit you" Kingpin called after him.

"Like how?" Phobia replied, not even turning around.

"Well, there's a lot of money in it, so your mom can pay the bills. Plus, think of it as a donation to the 'Keeping Clea Alive Fund'" Kingpin replied, making Phobia stop dead in his tracks. He slowly turned to face the three criminals.

"How…how…" he stammered, completely terrified.

"How do I know about them? It's a little trick of mine, when I want somebody to do what I say; I find out everything about them and use it against them. You listening now?" Kingpin asked with a grin. Phobia sighed in defeat; he knew that if he left now, he'd be putting everybody he knew at risk. He headed back over to Kingpin's desk and sat in the chair.

"I'm all ears" he said, making Kingpin chuckle once more. He sat in the chair opposite Phobia and reached under the desk. He produced some blueprints and laid them on the table in front of Phobia. Once Phobia read the name of building, his heart nearly stopped.

"The Bank?" he said, nearly choking on his own words.

"I'm planning a heist; I've got some men who can take down the cameras and communications. I just need somebody to help take down the security inside" Kingpin explained.

"That's where I come in isn't it?" Phobia asked, not liking where this conversation was going.

"Exactly, I just need you to use your fear gas on them so we can blow open the vault. After that, there's going to be rendezvous point near the city centre. You know that building with all the TV Screens on the front?" he asked in response. Phobia nodded; he'd seen it hundreds of times.

"Right on top of there, there'll be a helicopter waiting for all of you" Kingpin continued, the last part of the sentence confused Phobia.

"All of you?" he asked.

"Of course, you really think I'd send you in by yourself? You'd call the Police in a heartbeat. I'll be sending Harley and a few of mine and Joker's men in with you" Kingpin finished. Phobia sighed as he considered this arrangement.

"And you won't hurt my friends? I can give my mom the money?" he said, making sure the deal was intact.

"Of course. Two Million Dollars will be yours to keep, no strings attached. So, do we have a deal?" Kingpin said, reaching his arm across the desk, waiting for Phobia to shake on it. Phobia knew he was going to regret it, but he remembered what he'd promised his mom. Slowly, he reached across the table and shook Kingpin's hand.

"Deal" he said quietly. Kingpin grinned as he retracted his hand. Phobia got up and began heading for the door, but before he left, Joker called after him.

"Meet us here tomorrow, 08:30PM. Don't be late or we'll come find you ourselves" he called as Phobia exited the office. When he made sure he was gone, Joker turned to Kingpin.

"So, when do we tell him about his dad and Ivy?" he said, almost concerned.

"When he's lying at my feet, bloody, broken and begging for mercy. With his sister's corpse lying right beside him" Kingpin replied, grinning as he raised a cigar to his mouth and lit it.

**A/N: Dun, dun, duuuuuuunnnnnnn! If you want to know more about Raven, I convinced JCPablo to join the FanFiction Community. So he'll probably post it on here sometime soon, saving you lot the trip to deviantART. Also, check out 'Little Lizard' by WolfGirl123456. It's awesome. Until next time, laters.**


	13. The Heist

**A/N: 'Sup guys. Once again, I've run out of stuff to say at the beginning of this thing. On a brighter note, JCPablo (the guys writing 'Raven') has just joined deviantART. He hasn't posted 'Raven' on here yet, but he will soon, saving you the trip to deviantART (although, do check out his gallery. It's immense). Wow, I guess that is a lot of stuff at the beginning. See you at the bottom.**

**(MUST'VE READ JCPablo's deviantART STORY TO UNDERSTAND. COMING SOON TO FANFICTION. UNTIL THEN, LINK'S ON MY PROFILE)**

**- The Safehouse -**

Batman sat in the chair next to the BatComputer. Ivy and Raven sat on the sofa, waiting for Batman's response to the story they'd just told. All about Raven's birth and, most importantly, the father. Catwoman and Daredevil had left to go on patrol; they figured Batman would need some time alone to work this out. Plus, they'd get some alone time themselves. After a few minutes, Batman finally looked up at the mother and daughter.

"Wait…Crane's her father?" he asked, gesturing to the young hero.  
>"Yes, it happened fifteen years ago. He was on the run from the Police, I took him to a hiding place, one thing led to another…and…well…" she trailed off, hoping he would catch on. Batman nodded.<p>

"Well, that would explain why Joker broke you out" he said, finally slotting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Yes, Joker found out that I had the same blood type as Charlotte and figured they could use her as a weapon against Raven and Phobia. I've been contacting Charlotte through a telepathic gene we share, I heard what she was doing in New York and wanted to help. I was able to talk to a contact outside of Arkham and I got him to make a new costume for her" Ivy explained, gesturing to Raven's new costume.

"But what did Joker want with Raven?" Batman asked.

"Him and Kingpin are working together to bring Raven and Phobia down. Joker didn't know that Charlotte was Raven though, that's why he tried to kill her. It was lucky Phobia arrived to save her" Ivy explained, making Raven nod at her mother. Batman observed the two, trying to work something out.

"So, the Joker and the Kingpin have formed an alliance. This won't end well. Ivy, we may be able to use you to our advantage" he said, confusing the red haired woman.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Joker doesn't know that Charlotte's actually Raven or that you're here talking with the enemy. We could use you to gather information so we can learn to stop them. And more importantly, stop Phobia" Batman explained, making Ivy narrow her eyes.  
>"And what's in it for me?" she replied, sounding a little curious.<p>

"Well…I'm not making any promises, but I may be able to shorten your sentence in Arkham" Batman proposed, making Ivy rub her chin.

"What about, Charlotte? You can't keep me away from my own daughter" Ivy said, sounding slightly angry.

"I wasn't planning to. I'll allow Charlotte access to you so you can see each other whenever you want to. Plus, I sent out an eyewitness statement to the N.Y.P.D about Charlotte's arrest warrant. I told them everything about Joker and what he did, so you're off the most wanted list," Batman continued, facing Raven. Her eyes were wide with amazement.

"Wait, I'm not a criminal anymore?" she asked, a grin spreading across her face.  
>"Exactly, the Police are now on the lookout for Joker" Batman replied, almost smiling. Raven felt like crying, she finally had her life back.<p>

"Oh my…thank you so much" she said to the Dark Knight. He nodded in response. Ivy considered his offer; after all, he had just helped her daughter out of trouble. She looked up at the Dark Knight as he awaited her response.

"Okay, I'll help you. But this doesn't mean we're friends" she reassured. Batman turned to the Bat-Computer and brought up a file on Eddie.

"I suppose you're wondering how Phobia links into all of this?" Batman asked, not even looking as Ivy walked over and stood behind him.

"A little, do you know his identity?" she asked, reading the file on the screen.

"His name's Eddie Strach, fifteen years old, attends Daybreak High School and…well, this is sort of how he links in" Batman finished, bringing up Eddie's blood type. As soon as Ivy read the information on the screen, she covered her mouth and backed away slightly.

"He's…Crane's son?" she asked in disbelief.

"Crane broke out in 1997 and met a woman. They spent the night together and she told him she was pregnant," Batman explained.

"1997? That's the same year me and Crane…" she trailed off, looking at Batman.

"What is it, Ivy?" he asked, sensing a problem.

"When I took Crane back to my hiding place, he told me what he'd done with a woman from here. That would make Eddie and Charlotte the same age wouldn't it" Ivy said, Batman nodded in response.

"It also makes Charlotte Eddie's half-sister," he concluded, glancing over at Raven. She still couldn't believe what she was hearing. The boy she'd been to school with for years was her own half-brother and she'd had no idea. She glanced up at Batman, tears almost brimming in her eyes. Ivy headed over to the girl and rubbed her back comfortingly. She's just learnt she had a half-brother, she'd just learnt that her parents weren't her real parents, she'd just learnt her REAL parents were super criminals; this was too much for her to handle.

"What are we going to do about this? We'll have to deal with all that child services stuff" Raven panicked, on the verge of tears.  
>"Don't worry, we'll work something out. In the meantime, the Police have given you permission to attend school again" Batman explained.<p>

"How does that help?" Raven asked.

"You can speak to Eddie and try to talk him out of it" Batman continued, making Raven's eyes widen.

"But…but I'll have to tell him my secret identity. He'll know I was the girl he fear-gassed with Joker, he'll know what I've done, he'll-" she rambled until Batman stopped her.

"I know, but this may be our only shot of stopping him before he crosses the line. You have to do this," he said, almost begging. Raven sighed.

"Okay. I'll ask him tomorrow" she replied. Suddenly, a vibrating sound came from her back pocket; she reached back and produced her phone. The Caller I.D. said: Jessica. Raven gasped at this.

"What is it?" Ivy asked, almost like a concerned mother.

"Ever since I've been on the run, a friend of mine let me stay with her. But the police tracked me down to her apartment, but that's when Ivy saved me" Raven explained, looking at Ivy.

"You better check in with her then" Batman suggested. Raven hit the answer button and brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked.  
>"<em>Charlotte? It's Jessica, I came home to find the door bashed down and Daniél saying the Police came in looking for you. Are you okay? Are you safe?<em>" Jessica asked in a frantic voice.

"Don't worry, Jessica. I'm fine, I'm with…a friend. Did Daniél freak out when you told her about what I do?" Raven replied.

"_A little, but she calmed down when I told her you were framed. By the way, Daniél hid your costume before the Police could find it. Your secret's safe. Do you want to come get it?_" Jessica asked.

"That's fine, Jess. You can throw that one in the trash, I've got a new one" Raven replied, looking down at her new costume with a grin.

"_Whatever you say, girl. But what about your techy wing things?_" Jessica asked again. Raven turned to Batman.

"If I bring my wings to you before school tomorrow, could you fix them? They got a little beaten up after a fought Clayface" Raven explained, Batman nodded in response.

"Keep the wings safe. I'll be coming back to your place tonight; the Police aren't looking for me anymore" Raven announced happily.

"_That's great news, girl. I'll see you back here tonight_" Jessica replied cheerily.

"Later, Jess" Raven replied before hanging up.

"I'll try and find Eddie tomorrow. I've got to go back to Jessica's" she said, heading over to the window.

"I should go too. Joker will wonder where I am, I'll tell him she escaped somehow" Ivy replied, standing up.

"Good Plan, tell us if they're planning anything big" Batman ordered, Ivy nodded in response. As she landed at the bottom of the fire escape, she started heading back to Kingpin's office. But before she could walk any further, a voice caused her to freeze.

"Iv…mom? Why did you put me up for adoption?" Raven asked, Ivy turned to face her estranged daughter.

"Because I wanted you to have a future, if anybody knew you were my daughter, they would have treated you the same way as me. I did it to protect you" she replied, Raven realised she was right. If everybody knew she was Ivy's daughter, she would never have had the life she had now. She would have been treated like a freak, she would never have friends, family, nothing. Her life would have been a misery. Ivy slowly began to walk away, but the voice stopped her once again.

"Thanks Ivy. You're an awesome mom" Raven thanked, making a tear form in Ivy's eye. After she'd realised she was having a baby, she'd thought she would have been the worst mom ever, apparently not. Ivy turned to face her daughter.  
>"You're welcome" she replied, running off back to Joker. Raven grinned and began heading back to Jessica's.<p>

**- Daybreak High School, The Next Day -**

Eddie spent the whole school day full of dread; he couldn't erase the fact that he was assisting a pair of criminals in a bank heist on that very night. He couldn't tell anyone, Kingpin would find out, he'd kill them and the blood would be on his hands. As he entered Mr. Andre's Science Class, he instantly noticed a new student. A girl was sitting next to Harper; she had long orange locks and wore a yellow t-shirt with a cookie on the front, jeans and white converses. He couldn't get a good look at her face though.

"_She must be that Charlotte. At least she's safe, that's one less problem to worry about_" he thought to himself. Since he'd heard she was missing, not only had he been fighting crime, he'd been searching for her as well. He was glad she was okay, but that meant Harper had his science partner back, thus leaving Eddie working alone again. He sat in his regular science place and waited for Mr. Andre to arrive. But as he reached sat down, he felt somebody tap him on the shoulder. He groaned, thinking it was Doug trying to annoy him again.

"_I guess that old habits die hard_" he thought as he turned around, only for his eyes to widen in shock. It was her, the girl from the warehouse. The girl Joker had kidnapped. The girl he'd fear-gassed.

"Hi…um…do you have a pencil I could borrow?" she asked. Hesitantly, Eddie reached into his bag and retrieved a slightly used pencil. He placed it in her palm.

"Thanks" she said and headed back over to Harper's desk. Eddie didn't take his eyes off her for a few seconds. The one girl he'd been afraid of seeing had been in his class the whole time. He tried to block her out as Mr. Andre entered the room.

**- End of School -**

Eddie retrieved the rest of his books from his locker and slammed the door shut. He began heading down the hallway, only to see Harper approach.

"Hey man" he greeted.

"Hey Harper, I saw you had a new partner in Science" Eddie mentioned.  
>"Oh right, that was Charlotte, my old partner I told you about. Apparently, she was framed for those murders and the Police let her go. Sorry I had to ditch you, Eddie" he apologised.<p>

"That's cool, dude. But why are you all jittery?" Eddie asked, he'd noticed it since Harper had arrived. It was like he was trying to hold in the biggest laugh ever.

"Oh, that's the good news. I asked her out, she said yes" Harper replied with a huge grin. Eddie couldn't help but smile.  
>"That's awesome, dude. Good luck with her" he replied.<p>

"Thanks Eddie. I'll see you later" Harper replied, heading past Eddie and towards the exit. Eddie headed the same way, but as he began walking, a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. But as he faced the assailant, she pulled him in for a long kiss. He grinned as she let him go.

"I thought I'd wait for you" Clea said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Eddie couldn't help but feel guilty. He'd be ruining his life just to save hers and he couldn't tell her. She couldn't help but notice this.

"What's wrong?" she asked, making Eddie sigh.

"Look…Clea…I have to do something. Believe me, I have no choice, but if I did, I wouldn't do it. No matter what" he tried to explain.

"Eddie, you're scaring me. What do you have to do?" Clea asked, obviously concerned.

"Look, just promise me you'll stay home tonight. Lock all the doors and windows, don't answer the phone and just…be careful" he begged, almost ordered. Clea looked more confused than ever.

"Eddie wh-"

"Please, promise me" he cut her off, this time, he was ordering her.

"Okay, I-I promise" she replied, not knowing the danger she was in. Eddie pulled her in for a long hug; thankfully, she hugged back, still confused. Slowly, Eddie leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

"I love you" he whispered before letting her go. But before she could respond, he turned and charged out of the school doors, leaving Clea standing on her own in the empty hallway, confused, scared and awestruck.

**- The Church -**

Eddie walked inside the dark cathedral, the only light coming through the stained-glass windows. He dropped his school bag next to the pew and sat down, looking up to the ceiling. He glanced at his watch: 06:30PM.

"_Only two hours until my life is ruined_" he thought to himself as he lay back in his seat. He looked to the front of the church, a statue of Jesus being crucified hung above where the Vicar would stand. An expression of pain and suffering was frozen on his face, forever tortured. Eddie felt the exact same way. He put his hands together and closed his eyes.

"Are you there, God? It's me, Eddie Strach. I know I don't do this that often, but right now, I could use all the help I can get. Tonight I'm…I'm…I'm going to do something sinful. I don't want this; I'd give anything not to. But I don't want my friends and family to pay the price. There's little chance that you can hear this, but I could really use a guardian angel right about now" he prayed.

"Eddie?" a feminine voice asked from behind him. He quickly spun round, thinking it was Clea. It wasn't, instead, he came face to face with Charlotte.

"Oh, hey" he greeted; she sat down in the pew behind him.

"How did you know I was here?" Eddie asked.

"I kind of followed you. I have to talk to you about something" Charlotte replied, sounding serious.

"What's the problem?" Eddie asked in response.

"First, you don't have to pretend you don't know me anymore. I know who you are" Charlotte responded, making Eddie's heart stop.

"Wh-what do you mean?" he asked in response, scared slightly.

"I know you're Phobia" Charlotte replied. Eddie realised that there was no point in hiding it any longer.

"How did you find out?" he replied.

"I saw you take off your mask, I've been trying to talk with you" Charlotte explained. Eddie raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" he asked, now confused.

"Because I've been working with Batman for a while now, he wants you to stop using the fear-toxin" Charlotte continued, making Eddie's blood boil. He knew Batman was involved somehow.

"It's because he thinks I'll turn bad. Isn't it?" he asked, Charlotte remained silent.

"Look, I've saved more people than I've hurt, hell I saved you from Joker. I…wait, how did you escape from Ivy? I thought she took you to a warehouse" he asked, making her eyes widen.

"I-I just escaped, it's a long story. The point is, I need you to come with me. I'm going to take you to Batman" she explained. Eddie stood up, thinking about running away.

"Why?" he asked, sounding curious.

"If I can't talk you out of this, he can" Charlotte replied, also standing up. Eddie didn't buy a word of it, he knew this was a trap. And he wasn't falling for it.

"You're lying. I've got to go" he responded, turning to leave. But Charlotte grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"I'm not lying. Please, trust me" she begged, but Eddie shook her hand off and began walking away again.

"Fine, I didn't want to do this" she said, confusing Eddie. But before he could turn around, he was forced to the ground, lying on his back with Charlotte kneeling on top of him.

"I'm sorry, Eddie. But I need to take you to him, he just wants to talk you out of this" she begged. Eddie responded by rolling to the side, switching their positions.

"Look, I can't tell you anything, Kingpin will kill me if I-" he froze, realising he'd said too much.

"Kingpin? You're working with Kingpin?" Charlotte asked with confusion.

"No…well, kind of…I mean…look, I can't explain. If I do, he'll kill you too. I've already put enough lives on the line; I'm not risking yours. Tell Batman I'm sorry, I have to do this" Eddie explained before letting her go. Before she had the chance to stand up, he charged out of the church, almost as if the hounds of hell were biting at his heels.

**- Eddie's Apartment -**

Eddie closed the door quietly and dropped his school bag to the ground; he looked into the living room to see his mother asleep on the couch again. Her cheeks were red with light streaks going down them. She'd been crying again. Eddie sighed and headed into his room. Once he'd closed the door, he reached under his bed and pulled out his duffel bag, he unzipped it and pulled out his gas-mask. He looked into the empty visors, wondering what he might see through them that night. He thought about the bills, his mother, her debt. He knew this was wrong, but it was his only option.

"I need to do this. For my mom. And for Clea" he said to himself, placing the mask on his bed and pulling out the rest of the costume.

**- Switch to Montage -**

**- Music Playing: Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping up to Boston -**

- Scene of Eddie lacing up his boots -

- Scene of Charlotte placing on her Raven costume -

- Scene of Batman repairing Raven's wings -

- Scene of Daredevil leaping across an alleyway, Catwoman following close behind -

- Scene of Eddie placing on his bullet-proof vest then placing his trenchcoat over the top -

- Scene of Raven climbing out of her window and up onto the roof -

- Scene of Joker's and Kingpin's men waiting in a dark basement. Suddenly, the door bursts open, revealing Harley wheeling in a crate. The men break it open, revealing a whole cache of military grade weapons. The men cheer and begin taking their pick as Harley loads an AA-12 Fully Automatic Shotgun. While all this is happening, Ivy watches through the door with a worried look on her face -

- Scene of Eddie placing on his gauntlets, now glowing a bright orange colour -

- Scene of Batman putting the finishing touches on Raven's new wings -

- Scene of Joker and Kingpin, holding drinks and admiring the view from Kingpin's office. They both raise their glasses and clink them together -

- Scene of Eddie placing his fear-gas deodorant cans and a roll of duct tape inside his trenchcoat -

- Scene of Raven arriving at the Safehouse, just as Batman has finished the wings -

- Scene of Eddie placing on his gas-mask then climbing out of his window, onto the fire escape

- Final scene of Raven, placing on her new wings then begins telling Batman what Eddie told her -

**- End of montage/ Music Ends -**

The elevator doors opened, revealing the hooded fear-spreader. He began taking long strides towards Kingpin and Joker as they admired their new ally.

"We were wondering if you'd actually show up," Kingpin said, making Phobia glare at him.

"Let's just get this over with" Phobia replied, flexing his gauntlets. Joker gave him a dirty look, the lead him back to the elevator, pressing the basement button once they were all inside.

"You're going to be given a brief, listen well," Joker warned as the elevator doors closed.  
>"Wait, if we're going to be robbing the bank, what are you two going to be doing?" Phobia asked.<p>

"We have…other priorities" Joker replied, giggling quietly.

"What priorities?" Phobia asked, not liking where this was going.

"You'll see, kid. You'll see" Kingpin replied with a big grin.

**- Later -**

The black-painted van pulled up in the alleyway behind the bank, the only light source being the flickering street light. The back doors swung open and a group of men poured, each holding a military-grade weapon, capable of destruction on a massive scale. Once they'd all dispersed, Phobia climbed out after them, his glowing gauntlets increasing the amount of light. One of the men took out a walkie-talkie and brought it to his mouth.

"This is Team JK-1, we're at the back entrance. Have the stealth team deployed, over?" he asked, awaiting a reply. Finally, a static voice responded.

"_This is Team JK-2, the stealth team have been deployed and are making their way to the security room. We're at the front of the bank, over_" Harley replied.

**- In the vents -**

The two men coughed as they made their way through the dusty vents, they wore black body armour, carried a black satchel each and had gas masks pulled up on their foreheads. They finally stopped above an opening and slowly pulled open the grate. Looking into the room, two security guards were sitting at their desks, their eyes darting from screen to screen as they scanned each camera. One of them raised his head.

"The air conditioning system is a few more feet this way" he explained, gesturing behind him. They continued shuffling until they found the giant fan. They both reached inside their satchels and produced two fear- gas deodorant cans each, they then reached inside their satchels and produced two rolls of duct tape.

"Put on your mask" the other man said, pulling his down over his face, the other followed suit. They tore off strips of duct tape and placed them over the deodorant sprayers, forcing fear toxin out of each can. They aimed them at the air vent, allowing fear toxin to spread throughout the building. As it travelled into each room, the sound of screaming echoed off the walls, filling each of their eardrums with pleas for help and sobs of fear. The men at the back entrance could hear the whole thing, standing in silence as the screams began to fade away. They all turned their heads to face Phobia who stood behind them, breathing heavily.

"What the fuck do you put in that stuff?" an African-American man asked. But Phobia didn't answer; he just stood still, not saying a word. Suddenly, the door opened, allowing them access. The walkie-talkie buzzed into life as a voice filled the airwaves.

"_This is Stealth Team, all security is down and the fear-gas has been cleared. Repeat, you may enter the bank, over_" a muffled voice explained.

"Roger that, over and out" the man replied, turning to the other men with guns.

"Keep your guns ready" he ordered before heading inside. But Phobia didn't move, making the last man look back at him.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked, gripping his gun tightly.

"I left something in the van, I'll catch up" Phobia replied, trying to sound convincing.

"Fine, but hurry up" the man warned, catching up with the others. Phobia shook his head.

"_Idiot_" he thought before running to the payphone at the end of the alleyway. He put in a few quarters and held the phone to his ear.

"_C'mon, please pick up_" he begged in his mind, seconds before a voice appeared on the other end.

"_This is the emergency number, how may I redirect you call?_" the same voice from before answered.

"I need the Police, now" Phobia said, looking up and down the alley in case somebody saw him.

"_You've reached the N.Y.P.D., please give me your name, situation and location_," a middle-aged man explained from the other end.

"This is Phobia, I'm being held hostage in a bank robbery, everybody inside is unconscious" he replied.

"_Phobia? Is this some kind of joke?_" the man asked, making Phobia groan.

"I'm not joking, they're planning on robbing the main vault. You have to get here now," he said in an angry tone.

"_Wait, you're serious? Okay, calm down, we'll send everything we can. In the meantime, just play along with what they're doing, like nothing's happened_" the man said.

"Got it" Phobia replied before putting the phone back on the hook.

**- Inside the bank -**

Two men aimed at the door as Phobia entered, as soon as they noticed him, they lowered their guns.

"You took your time. What were you doing?" one said, almost suspicious. The other guard was the same.

"I…um…had to take a leak" Phobia lied, hoping they'd buy it, which they did.

"That's nice to know" the man replied, looking a little disgusted. Phobia let out a sign of relief and headed over to Harley.

"What's happening?" he asked, making the blonde haired criminal turn to face him.

"The boys are nearly done settin' up the C4" she replied with a grin. Phobia watched as the men attached the explosives to the vault door, trailing a long wire for the detonator. Harley looked at Phobia with a strange look in her eye.

"What is it?" he asked once he noticed.

"Nuttin', you just look a lot like your dad" Harley replied, making his eyes widen.

"I'm nothing like him, I'm just doing this one heist and then I'm out of your sick little game," he said, getting angrier by the second.

"Geez Louise, calm down. I was just mentionin'" Harley replied as one of the guards headed over to her with the detonator. The wire lead to the vault lock.

"It's all ready, Miss Quinn" he said, allowing her to snatch it from his grasp. They all instantly ran for cover, tipping over tables to use them as barricades. Phobia ducked behind the same one as Harley.  
>"How loud is that thing anyway?" he asked as Harley raised her hand over the detonator.<p>

"Just cover your ears and close your eyes," she warned, making him reach up to his ears, just as she pressed the button. The explosion echoed off the walls, alongside the sound of crumbling debris. They all looked up to see the whole lock blown off and the vault door swinging open. Harley chuckled and headed over to the smoking vault.

"Alright boys, lets start emptyin' this piggy bank" she ordered.

**- 1 Hour Later -**

The men were wheeling out the last of the money as Phobia watched them leave, but before he could follow, a gloved hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Harley stood behind him, holding a black briefcase.

"Mistah J told me to give this to you. Two Million Smackers exactly" she explained holding it out to him. He took it from her grasp and opened it slightly, revealing the field of green. He closed it again and held it at his side. But before they could follow the others, the front windows of the bank broke open, sending tear gas into the room. All the guards froze as the scene unfolded.

**- Music Playing: The Prodigy – Invaders Must Die -**

"Everybody get down," Harley ordered, pulling Phobia behind a wooden table, still gripping hold of the briefcase. The front doors smashed open, allowing the S.W.A.T. team to flood inside, each holding a gun.

"Alright boys, GIVE 'EM HELL!" Harley called out, lifting her shotgun above the table and opening fire. The other men did the same, unleashing a swarm of bullets upon the S.W.A.T. team. Some of them were caught in the firing line; others ducked down and fired back with their own machine guns. One of Kingpin's men ran for cover behind the same desk and Harley and Phobia.

"How'd they know we were here?" he asked, firing blindly over the table.

"I have no idea, nobody could-" Harley stopped mid-sentence and narrowed her eyes. She turned to face Phobia who looked back with fear in his eyes.

"You. You ratted us out" she yelled, making his heart beat a little faster, a small bead of sweat rolling down his forehead behind the mask. Harley called out to another one of Kingpin's men.

"Get over here, we'll cover you" she called out. He nodded and began making his way to their table. All four of them were now ducking behind the wooden shield.

"We're making a break for it. On the count of three, make a break for the door" she ordered, they all nodded in response. Phobia was still wondering why she hadn't killed him yet.

"One…two…THREE!" she announced, they instantly ran for the back exit, amazingly avoiding the crossfire. As soon as Harley ran out of ammo, she groaned and dropped the gun to the ground. They ran out of the back entrance and climbed inside the van, slamming the doors behind them, completely unaware of the winged individual watching for above.

**- Music Ends -**

She watched as the black van rocketed out of the alleyway and into the night. Raven raised her hand to her earpiece and began speaking.

"This is Raven, I've just seen Harley and Phobia exiting the bank. They're in a black van heading towards Times Square, is anybody in that location?" she asked.

"_I'm a few blocks away, anybody want to be my back-up?_" Catwoman's feminine voice asked in response.

"_I'll head there now. Give me a few minutes_" Daredevil's voice replied.

"Batman, anything happening at City Centre?" Raven asked.

"_The scanner's picking up an unmarked helicopter entering the vicinity. That could be their pick-up. All of you converge on that location_" he replied from the Safehouse.

"Got it" Raven replied and started making her way across the rooftops.

**- Times Square -**

The van pulled over into another alleyway, skidding to a halt as the Police cars sped by. The doors blew open, allowing Harley to drag Phobia out by the scruff of his neck, the two men who'd helped them out followed close behind. Harley led Phobia to a metal ladder attached to the back of the building, once he looked up, he saw that it led all the way to the roof.

"I'm not going up there" he said, but before he could run, Harley pulled a pistol out of her belt and aimed straight between his eyes.

"Climb or else" she threatened, making the two men chuckle. Phobia obliged and began climbing, praying to God that he wouldn't fall. Once he reached the top, he walked over to the edge to see where they were. The view of Time Square was breathtaking; he was standing right on top of the building with all the screens on it. Hundreds of feet below, taxis were picking up passengers, passers-by were talking with friends, the odd tourist would take a picture of a few of the buildings, this was truly Manhattan. However, the sound of spinning turbines filled the air and wind blew in his face as a large helicopter landed beside him. Harley aimed her gun at him waved it to the helicopter.

"On board, now" she ordered, not losing her aim. He nodded and started making his way to the helicopter, the two men climbed on first, then Harley, but before Phobia could climb aboard, a feminine voice interrupted them.

"Going somewhere, Quinn?" the voice asked over the sound of the turbines. They all turned their heads to face the woman wearing a black leather helmet with cat ears. She stood near the edge, her claws ready for combat. Harley sneered at the thief.

"What are you doin' here, Selina?" she asked, obviously irritated.

"Please, you have to help m-" Phobia tried begging for help, but Harley clamped her hand over his mouth and dragged him onboard. The chopper began to rise off the ground; Catwoman began running towards it, hoping to stop it somehow.

"Boys, shoot her down" Harley ordered, the two armed men unleashed fire on Catwoman, but she began backing up, now standing right near the edge. But from below, citizens had noticed the gunfight going on at the top of the building; Police cars had pulled up beside the building, trying to find a way up and observing the scene. As the guards were about to fire again, Harley raised her hand, making them lower her guns. Once again, she pulled the pistol from her belt and aimed it straight at Catwoman, who stood with a look of terror on her face.

"They say curiosity killed the cat, maybe that should be my new nickname" Harley joked, cocking the gun and aiming straight for Catwoman's head. Phobia was still trapped behind her grasp, but he wasn't going to let Harley kill anybody else tonight.

"NO!" he protested from behind her grasp before elbowing her in the ribs. Harley cried out in pain, the shock making her pull the trigger but also making her lose her aim. The bullet missed Catwoman by millimetres, but was still able to graze her head. Her ears rang, her vision became blurry and she lost her footing, falling backwards over the edge. Phobia's eyes widened behind his visors.

"NO!" he cried out a second time right before Harley clamped her hand over his mouth again, only this time, she was holding a damp rag. His vision started getting darker and his hearing began to shut down.

"If it was up to me, you'd be dead by now. But Mistah J. has somethin' special planned for you…" she trailed off as everything went quiet and his world faded to black. But before it did, he made out the shape of a crimson figure, leaping over the edge after Catwoman.

From below, everybody who'd gathered to watch were crying out in terror as the thief got closer and closer to the ground. As she fell, her life literally flashed before her eyes, every robbery, every arrest, every encounter with Batman, but it all lead back to the same place, falling over 50 fifty stories before making contact with the solid ground. Her head split open allowing the inner workings to spill all over the sidewalk, Daredevil holding her body in his arms as he sobbed for her loss. That'd all be happening soon enough, just a couple more feet and she'd be gone forever, the last thing she'll see being the huge screens as a commercial for 'Coca-Cola' played, illuminating her falling form in an eerie blood red.

WHUMP!

She felt a bit more weight on her, in form of two red-leather arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her in. Daredevil had caught her and began wall –running down the side of the building, leaving small unnoticeable footprints on the colossal screens. Below, hundreds of people had pulled out their cameras phones so they could record the mind-blowing scene and possibly upload it to YouTube. As the ground got closer and closer, Daredevil realised he needed to jump soon, it was now or never. Knowing the right moment, he propelled himself off the screen, launching over the crowd of spectators. Shielding Catwoman's eyes by burying her head into his shoulder, he closed his as they went crashing through the windows of a bus and out the other side, landing kind of softly on the concrete as they did a rolling land. The crowd instantly shifted to where they'd landed, watching as Daredevil rolled onto his knees, breathing heavily. The Police pushed through the crowd, holding the masses back as Daredevil's radar sense allowed him to "see" the still body. Raven swooped down and landed outside the crowd before pushing her way through. She covered her mouth and gasped at the scene. Daredevil leaned over Catwoman, pressing his ear to her chest, trying to find a pulse. No pulse. Nothing. With tears brimming in his eyes, he grasped her hand and squeezed it tightly, waiting for her to squeeze back. All the while, the spectators, even the police officers watched with sadness at the fallen hero, some of the officers removed their caps in respect.

"Please, c'mon Selina. Please" he begged, praying that she would answer. He began lowering his head, knowing his efforts had been in vain. Suddenly, a coughing fit erupted from her throat, making her head shoot up for a few seconds as she regained her air. She leaned back onto the ground, raking deep breaths as she gazed into the glazed eyes of her saviour. He leaned in, caught in a place between relieved and concerned.

"Selina, are you okay?" he asked, she lifted herself up, supporting herself with her arms. A grin passed across her face as she squeezed his hand back.

"That was pretty hardcore" she replied, pulling him in for another long kiss. The crowd instantly began cheering and whooping as the scene unfolded. As the kiss parted they, pulled each other into an equally long hug. They both got up off the ground; Daredevil helped Catwoman to her feet. Raven joined them as another frequency echoed over each of their earpieces.

"_Hello?_" a voice asked, they all immediately reached for their earpieces, assuming it was Batman.

"It's Daredevil, we're fine. But Quinn escaped, we don't-" he tried to explain, but the voice cut him off.

"_Sorry Double-D, Batman can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the beep, BEEEEEEEEP_" the voice asked, followed by a ghastly cackle. They all exchanged horrified glances, recognizing the voice as Joker's.

"Hello? Joker? What have you done with Batman?" Daredevil ordered, but the line had gone dead.

"Something's wrong, we need to get back to the Safehouse" Raven said, they both nodded in response, pushed their way through the crowd and began making their way back to the Dark Knight.

**- The Safehouse -**

Instead of sliding open the window, Daredevil simply climbed through the opening that had been smashed though when they'd arrived, leaping through onto the dusty floor. Catwoman and Raven entered behind him, observing the surroundings. There were signs of a struggle; the coffee table had been flipped over, the other windows had been smashed, the BatComputer's screen had been cracked open, sparks flying onto the floor and the chair had been flipped onto it's side, a small stain of blood smeared onto the headrest.

"What the hell happened here?" Raven asked, slowly walking across the floor towards the totalled BatComputer.

"Joker must have Batman, how did they ev-" Catwoman replied before Daredevil cut her off.

"Wait a second…" he trailed off, standing absolutely still.

"What is i-" Raven tried to reply, but he cut her off too.

"Shh…stay still…what is that?" he said, following the noise his radar sense was picking up. He looked up to the ceiling; a confused look was spread across his face.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed, making Raven and Catwoman follow his gaze. Once they saw what was on the ceiling they gasped. A large, metallic, cube-shaped device had been placed in the centre of the ceiling; four wires were protruding from each corner, each linking to a smaller version of the bigger version which had been placed on each corner of the ceiling. Taped to the one in the centre was a note reading:

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Taped underneath the message was a playing card, a very specific playing card, the Joker. As the beeping got faster, they all knew what it was.

"RUN-" Daredevil tried to warn, but was too late. The explosion sent the ceiling crumbling down on top of them, trapping them in darkness.

Catwoman was the first to awaken; she rose above the debris-covered apartment, taking quick glances around at the unconscious bodies of Daredevil and Raven. But before she could go help them, a sharp pain hit her back, sending her back onto the floor. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the clown-prince of crime.

"Here kitty kitty" he mocked as a group of armed men swarmed the building, heading over to Raven and Daredevil. But before she could retaliate, he kicked her in the side of the head, making a trail of crimson slide down her temple before everything went black.

**A/N: Dun, dun, DUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNN! Thus ends another chapter, the longest chapter to date. Exactly 7,015 words, but who's counting? Anyway, I decided to treat you guys by combing two chapters into one. Anyway, that's it. Keep watching for the next update, only a few chapters left. Laters readers.**


	14. The Choice

A/N: Hello Readers, I'm sure you know by now that I'm closing in on the final chapter of this story. This isn't the last chapter, I still have one more chapter to tell before I bring 'Phobia' to a close and begin working on 'Phobia: Stainless Steel'…oops, said too much. Anyway, that small spoiler aside, I'll finish off this authors note with a small riddle:

**I'm always there in front of you and you always notice me, what am I?**

**Anybody know what it is, comment if you have a hunch. Laters, see you at the bottom. **

**- Unknown location -**

"Joker? Where am I? I know you're out there," Eddie ordered as he awoke from underneath the burlap hood, looking around as shadows projected through the material. He tried moving around, but he could feel himself tied to a chair again. He struggled against the thick rope, trying to wiggle free, but a slap from outside the hood caused him to cease his escape attempt. He breathed heavily as the stinging subsided.

"Don't you ever shut up, kid? Quick Question: Why did you rat us out?" Harley's childish voice asked from outside the hood, making Eddie groan.

"'Cause I wasn't going to let you get away with this. I may have thought it was a good idea at the beginning, but I couldn't just stand by whilst you got away with it" he replied angrily, only getting a punch in the nose through the hood as a response. He felt a copper-tasted substance roll out down his face, as he moved around he felt the substance getting stuck to the inside of the hood, only for it to be rubbed up his face as it was removed. He squinted as a bright lamp shined into his eyes, his black hair able to block some of the light. But as the light dimmed, he narrowed his eyes as Harley came into view. His gaze shifted to her left hand as she wielded a knife from her belt. She leaned in close and ran the silver blade across his cheek, making him wince as he felt the knife cut his skin. He felt his cheek go numb as the crimson liquid seeped out of the wound. Harley giggled at his misery.

"That's too bad, 'cause Mistah J. had a little surprise for you" she explained, retracting the blade. Eddie gritted his teeth at her as she did so.

"I don't care about the money. Tell your boyfriend that he can have it back" he replied, making the blonde-haired appendage chuckle.

"I'm not talkin' about the money, you see, when Mistah J. heard that you were using the fear toxin, he thought up a plan, he's smart like that" she explained as she started circling the young vigilante.

"What plan?" he asked, turning his head the best he could.

"Oh, you'll see. In fact, Mistah J said he'd give you the main honour of finishing it. In the meantime, he told me to show you what he does to squealers. But don't worry, he told me to go easy on you" Harley explained, before heading over to a red duffel bag opposite Eddie. She reached inside and produced a red and white-striped baseball bat. Eddie's eyes widened as she headed back over to him with it in her grasp.

"Too bad he's not here" she finished before taking a swing at her captive. Eddie screamed out in pain as the bat hit him straight in the side of the head.

**- With the others –**

(MUST'VE READ JCPablo's deviantART STORY TO UNDERSTAND. COMING SOON TO FANFICTION. UNTIL THEN, LINK'S ON MY PROFILE)

It wasn't the swinging motion, it wasn't pounding headache, in fact, it was the chanting that woke Catwoman up as she came to from Joker's kick. She could feel a cold trail down the side of her head from where Joker's shoe had made contact, but as she regained her vision, a whole army of men with guns came into view, each chanting numerous things at the tied up master-thief. She looked down to see that she was being suspended a few feet off the ground by a long metal chain, allowing the men to wolf-whistle at her, thus making her angry. She looked to the left to see Daredevil in the same state, his costume and his revealed flesh now covered in dust and debris. He had a huge tear in his sleeve going all the way from his wrist to his shoulder, revealing a huge amount of flesh. Raven however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Daredevil, wake up. Wake up" Catwoman called out, making them him. Daredevil slowly awoke and began moving his head left and right. With his radar sense, he could see the shapes of numerous figures moving below him, nearly all of them holding a weapon. He craned his neck to look in Catwoman's general direction.

"Where are we? Who did this?" he asked, making Catwoman narrow her eyes.

"I've got a good idea who it is" she replied before the sound of the air-horn made the room cease its noise. All eyes turned to face Joker as he stood on a large platform, hiding something under a huge sheet of tarp. Whatever it was, it was big. Really big. Catwoman gritted her teeth at the painted, super-villain.

"Quiet down boys, it's time" Joker announced, making every guard in the room raise their weapons and cheer. Once they'd silenced themselves, Catwoman spoke above the crowd.

"Time for what? And what did you do with Raven?" she asked, making Joker cackle.

"All in good time my dear, but it's time to start the show" a deep voice asked from behind Joker, sure enough, Kingpin stood behind him, a huge grin stretching from ear to ear. Daredevil narrowed his eyes as he recognised the laugh.

"Kingpin, you joined up with Joker I see" he commented, making Kingpin chuckle silently.

"You bet, since we suffered the same problem, I figured we could work together to bring both of you down" he explained, making Daredevil raise an eyebrow.

"Both of us?" he asked, making Joker head over to the tarp and grab the edge.

"Yes. You…AND BATMAN!" Joker announced, pulling away the tarp to reveal a huge machine, there was a huge control panel attached to the side with different equations and readings scattered across the screen, also a huge red button was placed right on the edge of the console, but that wasn't the scary part. Attached to the edge was a huge glass tube, inside was Batman, hitting against the sides, trying to escape. There was a large metal pipe leading to the top of the tube, meaning whatever travelled through it would arrive in the tube with Batman. Catwoman gasped as she saw the caped crusader trapped behind the glass. She gritted her teeth and turned to face Joker.

"What is that thing? AND TELL ME WHAT THE HELL YOU DID WITH RAVEN?" she ordered, screaming the last part. A small feminine cough came from behind Joker and Kingpin. They moved aside, allowing Raven to step out from behind them, a twisted grin now spread across her face.

"Hey Cat, how's it hangin'?" she asked mockingly, making her and the guards laugh. They silenced as Catwoman began talking.

"Raven? You were working with them?" she asked, feeling betrayed. But this caused Raven to burst out laughing. Also, Catwoman couldn't help but notice a drippy, orangey-brown substance dripping from her fingers as she did so.

"Close, you see I've been keeping a secret from you guys…" she trailed off as her voice became distorted and deep, not only that, but her small figure was beginning to warp and change. Catwoman and Daredevil watched in shock and awe as Raven started to grow in size, her slender arms now becoming large and greasy, her bright orange hair melding into her head as the same substance overtook it, her small eyes turning black and sunk into her head as it hollowed out. Soon enough, Raven had disappeared completely, leaving a living wad of clay standing where she once had. Daredevil had seen the whole metamorphosis through his radar sense; the bare silhouette of the change was almost enough to make him vomit.

"Clayface? You were pretending to be Raven the whole time? Where is she? The real Raven" Catwoman ordered, only getting a response from Batman. Unfortunately, his voice became muffled due to the thickness of the glass. Joker headed over to the control panel and began typing in commands. When he finished, the words 'INTERCOM ACTIVATED' appeared on the screen.

"Say that again, Bats" Joker said, putting on his trademark grin. As Batman spoke, his voice became crackly over the intercom speakers.

"Raven, she's gone," he said sadly, lowering his head. Both Catwoman and Daredevil couldn't believe what he'd just said.

"What? You don't mean…" she trailed off, Batman nodded in response. Catwoman narrowed her eyes and turned to face Clayface.

"When? When did you kill her?" she ordered, but before the clammy monster could respond, the Caped Crusader interrupted him.

"It happened this morning, Raven had brought me her wings so I could fix them up, but when she went home, she fell out of her window, she'd forgotten that she wasn't wearing her wings. She was taken to hospital; she was lucky to still be alive. But the doctors only had enough drugs to bring her out of her coma for a few minutes. I was there when she first woke up, I let her know what'd happened and told her she'd be okay. After that, I headed back to the Safehouse to continue working on her wings for when she got out of the hospital. But then, earlier tonight:

**- Earlier, before the heist began –**

**(For this flashback, Clayface will be known as Raven)**

Raven slowly opened the window and climbed inside, hoping this was the right place. But as she noticed Batman putting the finishing touches on a pair of mechanical wings, she calmed down and headed over to Batman, just as he put down his tools. Batman glanced up at the young hero and almost grinned. However, he couldn't help but feel like he was missing something.

"Raven, you're okay? How did you get here? I thought you were in hospital," he asked.

"The…um…doctors said I was free to go. It's a long story, are her-I mean-MY wings finished?" she asked, praying that she hadn't blown her cover. Batman was a little bit curious, but he shook it off. He reached for the wings and handed them to Raven. She placed the straps over her shoulders and fitted them in places, flexing her arms to make sure they weren't stuck or anything.

"Now, what's that long story you were talking about?" Batman asked, making Raven turn to face him. She held back a grin as she remembered her part of the plan: Make Phobia look like the enemy. Putting on a serious face, she began talking to Batman.

"I tried talking him out of working with Joker and Kingpin, but he said that he wanted to" she lied, holding back her laughs. Batman couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Well, like father like son. Did he say what he was planning?" he asked, now sounding a little bit angry.

"He told me that he and a few of Joker and Kingpin's men were robbing the bank tonight. He told me not to bother trying to stop him, we wouldn't stand a chance" Raven lied once again.

"Then we have to stop him, I'll need you to keep watch at the bank. If you see where they're going, radio in and Daredevil and Catwoman will converge on that location" Batman explained, making Raven nod. She then headed over to the window and climbed out onto the fire escape. As she climbed down into the alleyway, an evil grin spread across her face and she let out a giggle.

"_Everything's falling into place_," she thought as she headed over to a phone booth. She closed the door behind her, reached into her back pocket for some change and placed it in the phone. She waited as the phone rang, until finally, a peppy voice answered.

"_You've reached Mistah J's office, how can I help you?_" Harley asked, making Raven roll her eyes.

"It's Clayface, put me on with Joker," she ordered, a fumbling noise was heard on the other end as she was passed over to the clown.

"_Nice to hear from you again, Karlo. How's the plan going? Have you told Bats that Phobia's one of the bad guys?_" Joker asked excitedly.

"Yes, as far as Batman's aware, Phobia's becoming just like his dad. Now, how much longer must I spend as this Raven chick? Pretending to be a teenage girl makes me feel…weird" Raven whined, making Joker cackle on the other end.

"_Geez, don't have a_ _period. Just wait until Batman's completely alone and then I'll send over the boys to bring him to us. You got the right address for his hideout, didn't cha'?_" he asked in return.

"Sure did. I was able to eavesdrop on them through that clay stain I left on Raven's knee. If you tell your boys to wait outside, they can break in with me as back-up," Raven explained.

"_Good idea, Karlo. What about the bank heist? Did you tell Batman about it?_" Joker asked once again.

"Yeah, he told me to be on lookout. What do I do if I see Harley's team? I'll have to send that Cat girl and the Devil after them" Raven worried.

"_Don't worry, send them after her anyway. Harley will deal with them personally. If they do survive, I've told the boys to leave a little…surprise for them back at Batman's hideout_" Joker explained, making Raven grin.

"I'll head over to the bank now, if I see Harley's team, I'll radio the Cat and the Devil and send them to their deaths" she said, making Joker chuckle on the other end.

**- Later -**

Batman sat at the BatComputer, typing away impatiently as he awaited Raven's notification. Suddenly, he heard the young, feminine voice blare over his earpiece.

"_This is Raven, I've just seen Harley and Phobia exiting the bank. They're in a black van heading towards Times Square, is anybody in that location?_" she asked, as she spoke, Batman once again had that feeling that he was missing something, something to do with Raven's recovery.

"_I'm a few blocks away, anybody want to be my back-up?_" Catwoman's feminine voice asked in response.

"_I'll head there now. Give me a few minutes_" Daredevil's voice replied.

"_Batman, anything happening at City Centre?_" Raven asked, Batman opened up the scanner system on the BatComputer's software. From the City Centre, it showed an airborne device heading straight for Times Square.

"The scanner's picking up an unmarked helicopter entering the vicinity. That could be their pick-up. All of you converge on that location" he replied, as he continued trying to work out what was missing, he nearly had it…

"_Got_ _it_" Raven replied.

He got it. He couldn't believe he hadn't realised sooner, if Raven was out of hospital, how come he wasn't notified? He reached to his earpiece and began speaking.

"Wait what… Raven? How are you out of the…" he asked before realising that Raven's connection was gone. He instantly brought up the latest news feeds on the BatComputer and gasped at the latest headline:

**HOSPITAL DISASTER!**

**Earlier today at New York City Downtown Hospital, an incident broke out involving the well know Gotham Criminal, Clayface. He was recently seen getting beaten by the latest crime fighter, Raven and hadn't been seen until now. After a brief evacuation, a S.W.A.T. Team, lead by Sergeant Tom Varonis, was sent into the building to apprehend the criminal. However, Sergeant Varonis was the only person to leave the building alive as somebody had rigged each of the walls with C4 explosives, burning the hospital to the ground. He claims that Clayface murdered all of his squad, including a young teenage girl who had been Clayface's first victim. According to hospital records, the only patient unaccounted for was fifteen year old, Charlotte Varonis who had just recently been put in treatment for a coma. **

As he read the final paragraph, he could've sworn he'd stopped breathing for a few minutes. It wasn't possible, Raven couldn't have been dead, he'd LITERALLY just gotten a radio feed from her.

"RAVEN!" he cried out in grief as he got up out of his chair.

"_No, I have to see this for myself_" he thought to himself as he ran over to the window. But as he opened it, a pair of black leather boots kicked him in the face and sent him flying into the BatComputer's screen, then landing on it's chair face-first, leaving a smeared bloodstain on the headrest. Batman shielded his eyes as sparks flew from the mashed screen, but the sound of footprints from across the room attracted his gaze. He instantly reached for his belt and retrieved a Batarang. But as he noticed the small, feminine form of Raven, his eyes went side and he lowered his Batarang. He tried uttering her name, but no sound came out.

"It's not Raven, stupid," Raven mocked as she materialised into her true form of the horrific clay monster, her cybernetic wings dropping to the floor behind her. Batman mentally kicked himself as he realised how stupid he'd been. He couldn't believe how he hadn't noticed it before, Clayface had been impersonating Raven ever since she'd been hospitalised. But before he could retaliate, the monster let out a yell.

"BOYS!" he screamed, just seconds before every window in the room smashed, allowing various opponents to climb inside from the fire escape, one of them was able to kick over the coffee table upon entering. Half of them wore dirty Arkham prisoner uniforms whilst the other half was equipped with expensive body armour, not only that, but they all held a military grade weapon, no doubt bought by Kingpin. They closed in on the caped crusader all at once and pinned him to the floor. As Batman struggled under their combined strength, he looked up at the greasy villain with gritted teeth as Clayface smugly grinned back. But as Batman scowled, he couldn't accept the fact the Raven had died in the hospital explosion. It had to be a trick, didn't it?

"IF YOU KILLED HER…" he yelled before Clayface cut him off.

"Can't do anything now, Bats," he mocked as he headed over to the smashed window, but before he limbed out, his body shifted back into the form of Raven and placed her wings back on. Batman gasped as he realised that Clayface/Raven was heading to meet Catwoman and Daredevil. They wouldn't stand a chance.

"NOOOOOOO…" was all he could get out before the butt of one of the men's guns hit him straight in the face, knocking him out cold and knocking his earpiece to the floor. Once they made sure he was unconscious, they each grabbed an arm and carried down the dusty stairs to the back exit. But as they left with Batman, another group of Kingpin's men headed back up the stairs carrying a large piece of equipment. One of the guards already in the apartment couldn't help but ask.

"What's that stuff for?" he asked, making one of the technicians glance over at him.

"Just help us get this on the ceiling, Batman's friends will be back soon" he ordered, the guard nodded and headed over to the box of components.

**- Flashback Ends -**

Catwoman couldn't believe what she'd just heard, Raven had died in a hospital explosion and she'd had no idea. The entire room was silent as Batman concluded the "tale". All the while, Clayface was standing there, happily grinning.

"But...at the apartment...you got caught in the explosion too" Daredevil said.

"It was a little thing called acting. I've had a lot of practice" Clayface boasted.

As Catwoman glanced over at the monster, her expression changed from one of sadness to one of anger and rage.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! SHE WAS JUST A KID!" she yelled, trying to shake free from her bounds, but to no avail.

"You can curse at me all you want. It won't be able to bring her back" Clayface replied evilly, on the verge of laughing.

"Well, you're half wrong there, Karlo" Joker replied from behind him. Instantly, Clayface turned around to face the clown.

"What are talking about?" he asked, both confused and curious.

"Well, she CAN curse you all she wants. But I'm afraid her friend IS very much alive" Joker explained with a grin. Both Clayface and Batman's eye widened at this remark.

"Is this another one of your sick jokes?" Batman asked, narrowing his eyes.

"See for yourself. IVY, BRING HER IN!" Joker called out. On cue, the door to the back room opened and two people stepped out of the darkness. The first one was dressed as black as night, her clothing covered with the dried stains of clay. Her once flawless orange hair was now matted and tangled, encrusted with the same clay as her clothing. Her arms were tied behind her back as she was led into the room by Poison Ivy. Everybody was in awe as the supposedly dead heroine was led into the warehouse, even the guards were shocked. Clayface however was steaming at the sight of his victim. Instantly, he flew into a fit of rage.

"NO! THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE! I KILLED YOU!" he yelled, scaring the life out of Raven. She kept a straight face and glanced up at the creature.

"I guess you were wrong. And by the way, I overheard what you did in the back room. Word of advice: NEVER impersonate me" she said bravely, angering Clayface even further. He grabbed Raven by her jaw and leaned in close, she could smell the horrific stench of old clay each time he spoke.

"But I made sure you were dead. I filled your arteries with clay and you were in the hospital when those bombs I placed were detonated. You shouldn't even be here right now" Clayface growled before facing Ivy.

"How is she still alive?" he ordered.

"I found her trying to escape the hospital, she must've gotten out before the explosion" Ivy explained, quickly glancing over at Batman and giving him a sneaky wink. Batman couldn't help but grin at thus. He had no idea what she'd done, but Ivy had saved Raven's life somehow. Clayface growled at her response.

"But…but…I killed her…" he stammered, now sounding like a confused child.

"Apparently not, now stop bellyachin' and deal with it. Ivy, string her up with the others" Joker ordered, making Ivy's chloroform blood boil. If she wasn't undercover, she'd have been tearing his eyes out for making her tie up her own daughter. Nevertheless, she nodded and made her way through the sea of guards. She tied Raven to her own chain and secretly winked at her as the winch lifted her to the same height as Daredevil and Catwoman. As Ivy made her way back over to the platform, Joker began talking to Batman.

"So, I bet you're wondering what the little thingamajig you're trapped in does exactly?" he asked, making Batman glare at him.

"I was leaning in that direction" he replied, awaiting Joker's response.

"Well, some of Kingpin's lab boys were able to get a sample of our little Eddie's fear gas. With it, they were able to duplicate the formula to make a really big batch just for you. So, when I press this oversized big red button, that tank will be flooded with the gas" he explained, making every good guy in the room gasp.

"You monster!" Raven called from above, making Joker turn to face her direction.

"What? Was the oversized big red button too much?" he asked, letting out his trademark cackle and causing the guards below the three suspended heroes to burst out laughing.

"You won't get away with this Joker" Batman said from inside the tube, causing Joker to giggle at the Caped Crusader.

"You're right, Bats. I won't. But he will" he replied before pointing at the door to the back room. A figure was being led into the room by Harley Quinn, from the neck down; he could easily be recognised as Phobia. However, covering his face was a burlap sack hood with a smiley face painted on the front in what everybody hoped was red paint. Joker headed over to the edge of the platform and began making an announcement to the crowd of guards.

"Gentleman, let's give a warm welcome to the new king of fear, Phobia" he announced, getting a huge uproar in response from the crowd. As they began cheering, Harley pulled away the hood, causing the heroes to marvel in horror at what lay beneath. Eddie had a black eye, a huge cut on his cheek, dried blood stuck in his hair and blood dripping from his nose. He squinted as his vision adjusted to the lights of the warehouse. Once he regained his sight, he quickly glanced around at his surroundings.

"Eddie! What did she do to you?" Raven called from above as the cheers died down. Eddie glanced up at her with a small grin.

"Don't worry, Charlotte. I'm fine" he called back.

"But…wait, how did you know I was Raven? I never even told you" Raven asked, now confused at his discovery.

"Clayface sort of ratted you out" Eddie replied, looking over at the clay monster. Clayface looked back with the same amount of confusion as Raven.

"What are you talking about?" he asked in his deep gruff voice.

"I didn't know she was Raven at first, but I figured it out when you came to see me at the church" Eddie said, making Clayface's sunken eye sockets widen.

"You knew that was me? How?" he asked, making Eddie grin back at him.

"At first, I was curious at why Charlotte would be working with Batman. But then…

**- Earlier, at the Church -**

"Look, I've saved more people than I've hurt, hell I saved you from Joker. I…" Eddie trailed off as he glanced down at Charlotte's shoe. He couldn't help but notice the odd deformity at the end where her toes would be. There was a huge wad of clay at the end of her shoe. No…it WAS the shoe. It was like the shoe was made of clay and was only half finished. When seeing this, he remembered a certain Wikipedia page he'd looked at after hearing about Raven taking down Clayface.

-Powers and abilities: Basil Karlo a.k.a. Clayface has the ability to shape shift his body into any form and uses his unique ability to form many types of weapons out of clay. No doubt about it, I had to be Clayface in disguise. But why would Clayface use Charlotte's form to try and trick him? He'd never even seen Charlotte before, unless…no…I couldn't be. Charlotte couldn't be Raven, could she? There was only one way to find out, a little bit of word trickery. "…wait, how did you escape from Ivy? I thought she took you to a warehouse" he asked, hoping that his plan would work. "I-I just escaped, it's a long story. The point is, I need you to come with me. I'm going to take you to Batman" she explained. Eddie realised he'd been triumphant; Raven had never told him her true identity. So, why would she act like she had? Eddie stood up as he realised that he was talking to an imposter, Batman hadn't sent her, Joker had. This must've been something to do with tonight. But if he let it slip that he knew it was Clayface, he'd be in serious trouble. "Why?" he asked, putting on a curious tone.

"If I can't talk you out of this, he can" Charlotte replied, also standing up. Eddie didn't buy a word of it, he knew this was a trap. And he wasn't falling for it.

"You're lying. I've got to go" he responded, turning to leave. But Charlotte/Clayface grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"I'm not lying. Please, trust me" she begged, but Eddie shook her hand off and began walking away again. He wasn't letting this monster trick him.

"Fine, I didn't want to do this" she said, confusing Eddie. But before he could turn around, he was forced to the ground, lying on his back with Charlotte/Clayface kneeling on top of him.

"I'm sorry, Eddie. But I need to take you to him, he just wants to talk you out of this" she begged. Eddie responded by rolling to the side, switching their positions. He needed to make her think that he was fooled, so he tried acting scared.

"Look, I can't tell you anything, Kingpin will kill me if I-" he froze, putting on his best scared expression and hoping she'd buy it.

"Kingpin? You're working with Kingpin?" Charlotte/Clayface asked with confusion.

"_Jeez, she's a worse faker than me_" he thought as he continued to lie.

"No…well, kind of…I mean…look, I can't explain. If I do, he'll kill you too. I've already put enough lives on the line; I'm not risking yours. Tell Batman I'm sorry, I have to do this" he finished lying as he let her go. He jumped up from the ground and charged out of the church before she could retaliate.

"_I'm not letting him get me_" he thought as he turned a corner and began heading home. Meanwhile, back in the church, Charlotte had picked herself up off the ground stood facing the doors of the church, an angry look now plastered on her face. She closed her eyes and concentrated, soon enough, her clothes melted away into her clay flesh, only to be replaced by her Raven costume. She ran out of the church and down the back alley to a phone booth. She put in some change and awaited Harley's answer.

"_You've reached-"_

"IT'S ME, QUINN! Put the clown on" she yelled angrily, possibly hurting Harley's ears on the other end. The fumbling sound was heard again as he was passed on to Joker.

"_So, Karlo, did you find Phobia like I asked?_" he asked from the other end.

"Yeah, he was tougher than I thought. But he's definatly coming to the heist tonight" Raven/Clayface replied, brushing some clay dust off of her shoulder.

"_Good, thanks for makin' sure. You still remember your role for tonight?_" Joker asked in response.

"Sure, pretend to be on watch at the bank, then go to get the Bat" Raven/Clayface replied.

"_Exactly, if all goes as planned, I'll see you back at the warehouse_" Joker finished before hanging up. Raven/Clayface placed the phone back on the hook, exited the phone booth and started making her way to the safehouse.

**- Flashback Ends -**

Clayface couldn't believe that he'd been revealed that whole time. He growled at the young, battered vigilante with anger. He leaned in, inches away from Eddie's face.

"If you weren't an essential part of Joker's plan, you'd be mince meat" he threatened, only for Eddie to spit in his face. However, the saliva just got absorbed into the sticky, orange substance that constructed him. He narrowed his eyes at Eddie as he grinned back.

"Don't blow a fuse, Karlo. If I can handle him spitting in my eye, so can you. Now, let him pass. We've still got work to do" Joker ordered, making Clayface even more annoyed. With a growl, he backed away from Eddie as Harley led him to the console. Eddie gasped as he recognised who was trapped behind the glass.

"Batman? What are you doing here?" he asked, hoping Batman had forgotten about their last meeting.

"You tell me" Batman replied over the intercom. As Eddie reached the console, Harley untied his hands and backed away from him. Eddie reached up and rubbed his sore wrists with his gauntlets. He turned to face Joker, who stood opposite him, grinning to himself.

"Why am I here? You said that if I helped you with the heist, you'd let me go" Eddie said as Joker headed over to him and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Yeah, well, since you ratted us out to the cops, I think you still owe us a favour" he replied, reaching up with a gloved hand and pinching Eddie's cheek. Irritated, Eddie reached up and smacked the hand away.

"What do you want from me? And what is that thing?" he asked, turning to face the colossal machine.

"Well, you see that big red button? Once it's pressed, that tank will fill up with your home-made fear gas, killing the Bat in a horrible brain melting panic attack" Joker explained, finishing with a laughing fit. To which the guards joined in. Suddenly, Harley reached into her jumpsuit, retrieved her pistol from the heist and fired a shot in the air, silencing the thugs.

"You'll be quiet while Mistah J talks" she ordered, putting fear into the lot of them.

"Thank you, Harley. Now, where was I…oh yes, the machine. As I said, that tank will fill with gas as soon as you press that button. And do you want to know the best part? I'm giving you the honour of doing so" Joker finishing, grinning evilly. Eddie uttered a word, but no sound came out. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow at the demented clown.

"Are you serious? So far, you've tasered me, you've blackmailed me into robbing a bank, you've let your girlfriend beat the living crap out of me and now you want me to kill one of the greatest superheroes of all time? Well, you can forget it. And there's nothing you can do to change my mind" he stated heroically, resulting in an uproar of boos from the crowd of guards. Once again, Harley fired a shot into the air, silencing them again. Joker couldn't help but shake his head and tut and this. He glanced over at Kingpin and nodded to the back room, Kingpin nodded and headed into the darkness. As he left, Joker started speaking to Eddie.

"Well, you have a point. It's not as if we can just kidnap your girlfriend and bring her here as leverage. Oh wait, we have" he cackled as Kingpin re-entered the room. Eddie's blood ran cold as he saw who was at his side. He was so scared, all he could do was utter her name.

"Clea?"

Her hair was matted, she had streaks of mascara running down her cheeks from when she'd been crying and her hands had been tied behind her back with rope. As Kingpin forced her to stand in front of him, Eddie's heart sank as he realised this was all his fault.

"Eddie...what's going on?" Clea asked between sniffs.

"I'll explain later, just stay calm. Everything's going to be okay" he reassured, Clea nodded in response. However, the one who seemed most surprised at Clea's arrival was Clayface. He narrowed his sunken eyes and let out a frustrated growl.

"NO! This isn't possible! I killed you!" he screamed, confusing everybody in the room.

"What are you talking about?" Clea asked as Clayface glare back at her.

"Joker sent me to get rid of you and blame it on Batman. Then, Eddie would want to get revenge on the Bat" he explained, confusing Clea even further.

"But, I never saw you today" she replied, angering the clay monster even further.

"I DID! I grabbed you back at your school! I shot you straight in the head! I made sure you were dead!" he replied, getting more agitated by the second.

"Back at my school? You didn't grab me, it was Charlotte. That girl from Eddie's science class" Clea explained, making Raven's eyes shoot open.

"Me? What are you talking about?" she asked, now just as confused as Clea. Instantly, Raven cursed under her breath, realising she'd revealed her identity.

"Wait, you're Raven? You bitch, you tried to grab me back at school after Eddie left. You tried to kidnap me" Clea replied, glaring angrily back at Raven. She turned to face Eddie as he spoke up.

"That wasn't her. That was Clayface" he explained.

"How was that him?" Clea asked as she turned to face the clay monster, only to come face to face with an exact duplicate of the orange haired girl suspended from the ceiling. Then, almost instantly, it changed straight back into Clayface.

"But...I killed you" he whined, only for Eddie to speak up once again.

"Yeah, about that, I figured you would send somebody after Clea, so I left her a little parting gift back at school...

**- Earlier, Daybreak High School -**

"Okay, I-I promise" she replied, not knowing the danger she was in. Eddie pulled her in for a long hug; thankfully, she hugged back, still confused. As she did so, she felt Eddie slip something into her hoodie pocket. Slowly, Eddie leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

"I love you" he whispered before letting her go. But before she could respond, he turned and charged out of the school doors. As he left, Clea reached into her pocket, only to retrieve a syringe with a dark green liquid.

"_What is this stuff?_" she thought, mere seconds before she felt somebody tap her on the shoulder.

"Hey" the feminine voice asked. As Clea span around, she hid her hands behind her back, she didn't want anyone to think she was taking drugs or something. The girl who'd tapped her on the shoulder had bright orange hair reaching her shoulders, she had her arms crossed in front of her and a small smile spread across her mouth. Clea had seen this girl before, leaving the same science class as Eddie. Charlotte. For a second, Clea could've sworn Charlotte was looking behind her, almost like she was checking that the coast was clear.

"What's your name?" she asked, staring intently at Clea, scaring her slightly.

"Clea...why?" she hesitantly asked in response.

"Good. I wanna' show you something" Charlotte explained before walking away, gesturing for Clea to follow. Slowly but surely, Clea trailed behind her until they reached the back of the school, the same place Clea had found Eddie when he'd told her his identity. As Charlotte reached a halt, she turned to face Clea, her smile slowly formed into a grin.

"So...what is this?" she asked, still gripping the syringe tightly behind her back.

"That's the funny part" Charlotte replied, right before throwing a punch at her. Quickly, almost in slow motion, Clea reached out and blocked Charlotte's fist. Taking her chances, Clea removed her hand from her back and plunged the needle into Charlotte's fore arm, causing her to scream out in pain. As the orange haired opponent grabbed the needle mark in agony, Clea backed away slightly, awaiting the consequences of her actions. Then, a grin spread across Charlotte's face and she let out a little giggle. Clea watched in confusion as Charlotte scooped up an invisible body, swung it over her shoulder and began to carry it away. Once she'd made sure Charlotte was gone, Clea made run for it and started sprinting home. However, she was too scared to notice the figure in white sneakers, dark blue jeans and black hoodie watching her from afar. But, as the figure raised her head, the painted face of Harley Quinn was revealed, groaning as she reached into her pocket and retrieved a walkie-talkie. She pressed the button on the side and began speaking into the mouth-piece.

"It's Quinn, Clayface has screwed up. The kid's girlfriend has just exited the school" she explained before releasing her grip on the button. She waited for a few seconds before the voice of Kingpin crackled from the other end of the line.

"_Figures. You know what they say: Never send a clay monster to do a crime boss's job. Where's she heading?_" he asked, making Harley glance up to see Clea making a left turn down an alleyway.

"She's just gone down an alley on Daybreak Avenue. You should be able to cut her off from there" Harley explained after pressing down the button.

"_Got it. You should head back here, we've got a big shipment that's just arrived for you. It may help you with the heist_" Kingpin explained, making Harley raise an eyebrow.

"What kind of shipment?" she asked curiously, only to get a chuckle from Kingpin in response.

"_Oh, you'll see, Quinn. You'll see_" he replied before the transmission ended.

**- With Clea -**

After 10 minutes of running, Clea finally came to a stop in an alleyway a few blocks away from the school. Looking back the way she came, she let out a sigh of relief as she realised she hadn't been followed. Letting her guard down, she continued down the alley at a slow pace. However, as she neared the other end, a homeless man, wrapped in a dusty blanket and sitting next to a dumpster caught her attention.

"Excuse me, miss? Do you have a moment?" he asked, Clea slowed to a halt and looked down at him.

"Sure, are you okay?" she asked sympathetically.

"Why don't you ask those guys?" the man replied, a grin now spreading from ear to ear. Before Clea could react, she felt a pair of muscular arms wrap around her face and cover her mouth, muffling her screams. The homeless man removed the blanket to reveal an ensemble of body armour, plus a holster on his belt with a gun inside it. Out of nowhere, a black van reversed into the alley and the back doors swung open. The fake homeless man climbed inside whilst the mercenary holding Clea dragged her in with him. The doors swung shut and the van sped off towards the docks.

**- Flashback Ends -**

Clayface let out an inhuman scream of rage as Eddie finished his story. He reached out, wrapped his clay fingers around Eddie's waist and pulled him up off of the ground to eye level.

"HEY, LET HIM GO!" Clea screamed as Eddie squirmed in Clayface's grasp. He brought Eddie in close and stared him straight in the face, the smell of his breath was almost enough to make Eddie vomit.

"What was in that syringe?" he ordered, tightening his grip around Eddie's waist.

"I figured you guys might go after Clea, but I couldn't give her fear toxin in case people got suspicion. So, using some of the same components as the original fear toxin, I created a hallucinogenic formula which causes the subject to see whatever they want most" he explained, making Clayface's eyes widen.

"So...I imagined that I killed her?" he asked, but before Eddie could respond, Joker's voice interrupted them.

"For God's sake, get over it and put him down" he ordered, Clayface begrudgingly obeyed and placed Eddie back in front of the machine. Eddie glanced back over at Clea, her eyes filled with fear as Eddie stood in front of the machine.

"Back to more important matter, I've got a deal for you" Joker explained, angering Eddie.

"This is going to be like the last one isn't it?" he asked, making Joker cackle.

"And he's through to the final of America's Next Top Model" he joked, causing the guards to start laughing again. As if on cue, Harley fired into the air again, this time glaring at the guards.

"One more outburst and I'll start a body-count" she threatened, causing the guards to shuffle nervously.

"Anyway, here's the deal: You kill Batman and I'll let you and your little girlfriend go. No strings attached" Joker offered, making Eddie narrow his eyes slightly.

"What about the others?" he asked, nodding to the three suspended heroes.

"We'll deal with them personally. You can just go free, we'll never have to talk about this again. And, as a bonus, we'll let you keep your share from the heist" Joker explained before heading over to the machine. He reached behind the control panel and retrieved the same suitcase Harley had given Eddie earlier. Joker opened it, revealing the same amount of cash as before, not a dollar out of place. He closed it, placed it on the ground and, using his foot, slid it across the cold, stone floor to Eddie. Eddie picked it up, feeling it's weight in his hands. He turned to Batman, who still stood behind the glass, hoping that Eddie would make the right choice. Realising how his actions would effect Gotham, Eddie narrowed his eyes, placed the suitcase beside the control panel and glared at Joker.

"So, do we have a deal?" Joker asked, almost completely oblivious to Eddie actions.

"Not a chance" Eddie replied bluntly, but before the guards could begin booing, Harley raised her gun to the crowd, putting fear into each of their souls. Joker groaned impatiently at his decision, but then, his frown reformed back to his trademark grin.

"Well, since you put it that way, Kingpin, blow her brains out" he ordered, making Eddie's blood run cold. Kingpin reached into the back of his trousers, retrieved a Beretta pistol and placed the shaft to Clea's left temple.

"NO! DON'T!" Eddie yelled, making Joker content.

"Well, now you understand our terms. You kill the Bat or we kill the Girl. Make your choice" he explained, making Eddie's hand hover over the button. Instantly, there were many retaliations.

"No, Eddie! Don't!" Batman begged from behind the glass. Eddie hesitated, but as he moved his hand away from the button, Joker called out.

"You try anything funny and this place gets a new makeover. Tell me, how will red look on these walls?" he threatened, making Eddie's hand hover over the button once more.

"Eddie, you can't do this!" Raven called out, making Eddie's hand move away again.

"I swear, I'll pull the trigger" Kingpin threatened, pressing the shaft of the gun against her head even harder. Eddie looked back and forth between heroes and villains, caught between two decisions.

"Don't do it, Eddie!"

"C'mon, kill 'im already!"

"Eddie, don't!"

"I mean it, I'll kill her!"

"Eddie, help me!"

"Kill him!"

"Don't kill him!"

"Do it!"

"Don't do it!"

"EDWARD, STOP!"

The final voice caused the whole room to go silent and turn to face the warehouse's main entrance. Everybody stood in shock at who stood underneath the huge shutter door, the figure was easily recognizable due to the familiar, slightly burnt, burlap clothing, the gas mask and the orange, glowing gloves. The silence hovered in the room, until Eddie finally broke it with a single word. The word he'd never thought he'd have to say again. The word that made everybody in the room know that what they were seeing was real.

"Dad?"

**A/N: Authors note unavailable. Please wait until the next chapter.**


	15. The Farewell

**A/N: 'Sup guys? In case you were wondering why I didn't add an A/N at the end of the last chapter, it's because I LITERALLY couldn't think of anything to say. But I do now, if you are wondering who did my AWESOME new cover art, here's the guy's deviantART page: **

**(MUST'VE READ JCPablo's deviantART STORY TO UNDERSTAND CERTAIN PARTS OF THIS CHAPTER. COMING SOON TO FANFICTION. UNTIL THEN, THE LINK'S IN MY PROFILE)**

The whole room was in a state of shock as the presumed dead foe stood right at the back of the warehouse. After at least two minutes of dead silence, Scarecrow started pushing his way through the crowd of guards, every so often making silent apologies as he stood on a guard's foot. Soon enough, he made it to the front of the crowd and climbed up onto the platform.

"Don't do it, Edward. Please" he begged, Eddie however was still standing there, completely dumbfounded, his hand still hovering over the button, but not moving a muscle.

"D-dad?" he repeated, still in complete shock. Scarecrow could easily understand how shocked he would be in this situation. But this moment was broken when Clayface interrupted.

"Oh, c'mon. Is everybody coming back to life today?" he groaned, referring to his previous "kills". Joker crossed his arms at Clayface's outburst.

"I was thinking the same thing. By the way, good to see you again, Crane" he greeted, putting on his trademark grin once again. Underneath his mask, Crane couldn't help but scowl at the criminal.

"I wish I could say the same" he replied bluntly, getting raised eyebrows from the clown as a response. As Scarecrow turned back to face Eddie, his eyes darted upwards to the Caped Crusader, still trapped behind the glass.

"Batman, long time no see" he greeted, not making Batman any more comfortable.

"Crane...but...how? I saw you...in the apartment..." he stammered, forcing Crane to let out a small demonic giggle.

"Let me explain. You see, I WAS in the apartment that night, but before you arrived...

**- The night of the fire -**

Scarecrow painstakingly made his way up the apartment stairs as the flames flickered around his legs. Once he reached the top, he leant against the bannister, taking in enough air as possible.

"_And Two-Face said the gas-mask attachment was a bad idea_" he thought, finally regaining his strength and continuing to the flaming room. Using his non-gloved hand, he reached over to his needle-tipped glove and pulled open a hatch near the top of its casing, revealing an attachment similar to the top of a deodorant can. He pressed it down, releasing a huge amount of fear gas into the deteriorating oxygen.

"_The oxygen in here better last long enough_" he thought as he released the cap, ceasing the gas spray. He walked over to the window, gazing out over the city as flames flickered around the window pane. Suddenly, without even turning around, he heard the glass from the opposite window smash and felt a loud thud shake the wooden floor.

"Where are you Crane?" Batman yelled. All he got in reply was a demonic cackle from the other side of the room. Standing by one of the open window, gazing down at the citizens of Gotham was Scarecrow. His horribly thin and pale body covered only by torn cloth and bandages. His right hand wearing his trademark needle fingered glove, fluorescent orange fear toxin bubbling from inside its metal casing.

"I was wondering when you'd notice the flames. Tell me, why bother, Batman?" he asked, turning to face the Caped Crusader. His hood covered his sack of a mask whilst the hangman's noose swung to and fro from his neck.

"What are talking about, Crane?" Batman replied.

"Why bother fighting you? You always find a way to beat me. You are immune to my fear toxins; my mind games are inferior to your techniques. And you know what? I may be able to put fear into people, but you can put it back inside me. Why should I continue living when I know I'll never beat you?" Scarecrow replied. The flames were beginning to lick at the carpet they were standing on.

"_C'mon fear gas, kick in_" he thought as Batman began his unneeded reasoning.

"Listen to me. Your name is Dr. Jonathan Crane. You were a respected professor of psychology at Gotham University. It may all be gone now, but suicide isn't going to fix it" Batman tried reasoning with him, but Scarecrow replied with an evil chuckle.

"Oh really? I may be stealing some of the Riddler's dialogue, but answer me this. I know everybody's fear Batman. But what's mine? What am I afraid of?" he asked menacingly. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Batman held out his hand to Scarecrow.

"Crane, we have to go. The roof's about to cave in" he urged. But Scarecrow stood firm, almost oblivious to the creaking above him from Batman's point of view. But, little did Batman know that, from Scarecrow's point of view, the roof was holding in quite well.

"Well Batman. I'll tell you my fear. It's…" he paused as Batman glanced up at the ceiling. Scarecrow followed his gaze and smiled before facing Batman.

"_About time, lets just hope it doesn't air out for the next few seconds_" he thought before uttering the final word of his scentence.

"…you" he uttered before Batman shielded his eyes from an invisible force. As he looked up, a look of horror spread across his face.

"CRANE!" he called out, symbolising Scarecrow's victory. Instantly, Batman headed over to the window. Taking one glance back inside the building, he dropped, leaving Scarecrow alone in the burning room.

"_That was close. Now, I better get out of here_" he thought before heading back over to the stairwell, only to find that the stairs had burst into flames. Behind his mask, his eyes widened in fear. Running back inside the room, the sound of the roof creaking was now hitting his eardrums.

"_Great, NOW the roof decides to cave in_" he thought as the flames started reaching his feet. Glancing around the room, he couldn't find another exit. So, with no other options, he ran back over to the window Batman didn't climb out of. He opened it and looked down to see a dumpster right at the bottom. Seeing no other escape route, that and the ceiling was about to collapse, he climbed over the window pane and let go.

"_These people better have soft garbage_" he thought as he plummeted, seconds before making contact with the dumpster's contents.

"_I hate this city sometimes_" he thought as he climbed out the dumpster, dusted himself off and started running from the crime scene.

**- Flashback Ends -**

"I can't believe I didnt notice it before. Where have you been this whole time?" Batman asked, letting the realisation pass.

"I left Gotham and started making my way to Metropolis, figured that'd be the last place you'd look. But after a few days, I started hearing all these news reports about a guy in New York LITERALLY putting fear into people. So, I stowed away on a delivery truck and came here. After I'd arrived, I tried to find some leads to whoever was behind it. It wasn't until I stumbled across Andrea's neighbourhood that I figured it out" Scarecrow explained, making Eddie's eyes widen.

"Andrea? My mom?" he asked, still completely confused.

"Yes, I remembered what I did all those years ago, but I had no theory on how you could've gotten your hands on that vial" Scarecrow continued, Eddie tilted his head at this.

"Well, after you...um...died, this Commissioner from Gotham came to tell my mom and me. Before he left, he gave me a teddy bear he said he'd found in your cell. The day after, I found a package inside the bear, it was from you. It had a letter asking me to continue your work, so I did" he explained. As Eddie finished, Scarecrow raised his hands to his face and shook his head.

"Oh no, I'd forgotten all about...ugh" he groaned, confusing Eddie even further.

"But...isn't this what you wanted?" he asked, on the verge of getting a migraine. Scarecrow removed his hands from his face, walked over to Eddie and placed a gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Edward-"

"It's Eddie" he interrupted, getting irritated at the mentioning of his full name.

"Sorry, it's just that...I never wanted this for you" Scarecrow concluded, confusing everybody in the room.

"What? But...the package..." Eddie stammered, luckily, Scarecrow spoke up again.

"Let me explain, it all happened on your first birthday" he began, only for Batman to chip in.

"I researched that, Two-Face told us you broke out with a bear and a package" he said, getting Scarecrow's attention.

"I did, you see, after I broke out, I headed to New York. And after I made my way back to Andrea's house...

**- January 12th 1998 -**

Crane slowly opened the kitchen window and climbed inside, resting gently on the panel flooring, a teddy bear under one arm, a package under the other. Attached to the string bow wrapped around the package was a small tag reading:

_Edward_

_Do not open this package until your eighteenth birthday_

_Sincerely yours_

_Jonathan Crane_

As Crane sneaked through the house, he took a quick glance inside the living room, only to see a small pile of wrapping paper and birthday banners spread across each wall.

"_She must've had a small party or something_" he thought, seconds before hearing a baby's giggle coming from the next room. He tiptoed to the door and opened it a crack. Inside, he could see Andrea leaning over a crib, making silly noises to entertain her young child. Crane couldn't help but make a silent laugh at this. But before he could head inside, Andrea spoke up.

"Eddie, you are the sweetest thing I've ever seen. And when you grow up, you're going to be so successful. Just promise me one thing, okay?" she asked, confusing Jonathan as he watched from outside the room. However, the next thing she said almost broke his heart.

"Promise me you won't turn out like your father. After what he did, I didn't know if I could forgive myself. But after you were born, I didn't regret a thing. It's just...if you turned out like Jonathan, your life will fall apart just like his. Do you promise me?" she asked, only getting a childish giggle from the baby Eddie. Letting a tear drip down her face, she picked Eddie up out of his crib and held him against her lovingly.

"I love you, Eddie" she said, not knowing that Eddie had noticed the figure standing at his door. As Eddie's eyes focused on the figure, Crane's eyes widened, fearing that Eddie had blown his cover. But all Eddie did was let out another giggle, warming Crane's soul. He let one of his own tears drop down behind his mask as he made his way back to the kitchen window, he climbed out onto the fire escape an dropped down into the alleyway, just as the rain started to pour down. Pulling off his mask, he allowed the rain droplets to roll down his face, mixing in with his own tears as he realised the selfish deed he was going to perform. Bringing the package to eye level, he tore off the label and threw it to the ground. After taking a final glance at the now soaked tag, he took off in a sprint, disappearing into the storm.

**- Flashback Ends -**

"When I got back to Arkham, I cut off the bear's head and stuffed the package inside; I was able to sew it back on with some spare thread from my costume. After that, I hid the bear under my bed and forgot all about it. I swear, I never wanted you to find it" Scarecrow finished, making Eddie's mouth hang open slightly.

"So, this was all my own choice?" he asked, Scarecrow nodded in response, removing his gloved hand from Eddie's shoulder.

"Eddie, I made a mistake like this a long time ago. You don't have to turn out like me, you still have a choice" Scarecrow finished, almost sounding like a real dad. Eddie looked back at Batman, then to the heroes suspended from the ceiling, then back to Scarecrow, realising the previous choices he'd made. Not only that, but they'd been the wrong ones. However, he came back to reality when Batman's voice crackled over the loudspeaker again.

"But, how did you find us here?" he asked.

"I saw Phobia in the news and followed the chopper back here. I waited outside to see how things would go, but I couldn't let Eddie kill Batman" Scarecrow explained, seconds before Joker's agitated voice cut in.

"Save it for Oprah, Crane. Let the kid finish what he started" he ordered, making Eddie glare at him.

"I made a promise to my mom..." he began before Joker cut him off yet again.

"SCREW YOUR MOM! I wouldn't matter even if Scarecrow hadn't shown up, you're going to kill the Bat anyway. You were destined to be like your dad, this is your destiny" he finished, his grin almost covering the whole lower half of his face. Eddie took this in, realising that Joker was right. He slowly raised his hand to the console, moving towards the red button, making every hero in the room gasp. But strangely, Eddie's hand kept on moving, heading towards the keyboard, along with his other hand. Everybody, even Joker, watched in confusion as Eddie started typing in multiple codes, his gloved fingers almost moving at the speed of light. Finally, Eddie's typing pace slowed down, Joker stepped forward.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, making Eddie finally cease his typing and turn to face the clown, a small smile now spreading across his lips.

"You're right, Joker. This IS my destiny" he began, slowly raising a gloved finger over the enter key on the keyboard making Joker's eyes widen.

"But I still have time to change it" I finished, bringing his finger down on the key. Suddenly, a window popped up on the device's screen reading:

_**OVERRIDE ACCEPTED**_

Sparks flew from device as an opening beneath the tube opened, allowing Batman to fall out, freeing his from his glass prison. The three suspended hero's hearts lifted as the scene unfolded. Joker however was getting nervous as his plan began to crumble. As soon as Batman regained his ground, he looked over to Kingpin, who still had the barrel of his gun pressed against Clea's temple. As Batman took a step towards him, Kingpin pushed it even harder against the captive's cranium.

"Go ahead, Batman. Try anything and her head gets a new makeover" he threatened, forcing Batman to stand still. But that didn't stop the Caped Crusader from reaching into his utility belt and retrieving his Bat-Claw. He aimed and pulled the trigger, only for the claw to become lodged in the concrete wall directly behind Kingpin's head. Looking from where the claw got stuck then back to Batman, Kingpin let out a small chuckle.

"You missed, Bats" he said gleefully. However, his cheeriness didn't last long. Grabbing the claw's cable, Batman gave it an almighty pull, dislodging a huge chunk of concrete from the wall and causing it to fly into the back of Kingpin's head, knocking him out and leaving Clea standing in front on his unconscious form. Not a moment too soon, Clea ran over to the Dark Knight and stood behind him for protection. Once again, Batman reached into his utility belt, retrieved his line launcher and fired it across the crowd to the other side of the room. He grabbed Clea and wrapped her hands around the launcher.

"Have you used a zip-wire before?" he asked.

"Um...I used to do it at summer camp" Clea replied, catching on to what he was emphasising.

"Good, hold on" Batman said, she nodded in response as she climbed over the platform's railing and began to zip-wire over the crowd of guards, as they watched idiotically, too confused to realise they were each holding a weapon. Taking his chances, Batman reached into his utility belt once more, retrieved a batarang and threw it toward the suspended superheroes. With spectacular aim, the batarang cut through each of their chains, freeing them and allowing them to drop to the ground. As they regained their footing, Clea let go of the zip-wire, landing just in front of them. Realising what his men were doing, Joker called out into the crowd.

"What are you waiting for you brain-dead turds? They're ruining our plan and you're just standing their gawking? Stop them!" he ordered, bringing them back to reality and making them prepare for battle. Instantly, Raven spun Clea around so they were face to face.

"Wait outside, this won't take long" she explained. Clea nodded in response and charged out of the massive shutter door Scarecrow had previously used. As Daredevil readied his pickaxe, he turned to Raven and Catwoman.

"You girls ready?" he asked, Catwoman responded by readying her claws.

"Lets show them what we're made of" she replied as Raven maintained a fighting pose.

"I'm ready" she replied, seconds before charging into battle along with her companions. As the fight began, Clayface started edging forward, eager to join in. However, Joker's gloved hand held him back. As this happened, Ivy stood right at the back of the group of villains, hoping they wouldn't notice.

"Not yet, wait until things get REALLY bad" he explained, getting an annoyed grunt from the clay monster.

"Besides, we've got other problems" Harley finished, glaring at Batman, Scarecrow and Phobia.

"We're not going down without a fight, Quinn" Batman replied, standing his ground. Harley responded by standing forward and aiming her gun straight at Eddie's face.

"I wish I could say the same for Scarecrow Jr." she responded before pulling the trigger.

_Click_

Harley's eyes widened as that silent noise replaced the familiar gunshot she was used to. Behind his mask, Scarecrow narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, looking Quinn straight in the eyes.

"Word of advice:..." he began before punching her straight in the face.

"...NEVER try to shoot my son" he finished as Harley rubbed her sore cheek, tears brimming in her eyes. Instantly, she backed away, fearing another beating. This time, Joker was the one to step forward, glaring evilly at Scarecrow.

"Here's another word of advice: NEVER hit my girl. That's my job" he explained, cracking his knuckles. Instantly, Eddie charged at the clown, his gauntlets raised.

"LEAVE MY DAD ALONE!" he screamed.

"EDDIE, NO!" Scarecrow added, but it was too late. Joker dodged Eddie's needles, grabbed his gauntlets and jammed them straight into Eddie's own arm. Instantly, Eddie let out a blood-chilling scream, causing the whole room to cease their fighting. Raven covered her mouth in horror as Eddie's veins filled with the deadly toxin. All the while, Joker was grinning ecstatically.

"Lets see how you like it, kid" he mocked as Eddie's world went black.

_Smack!_

**- Eddie's P.O.V. -**

_As Eddie's eyes shot open, a familiar sight greeted him. His school corridor. He picked himself up off the ground and looked up and down the corridor, only to find the place completely deserted. _

"_Hello? Anybody?" he called, getting dead silence as a response. Looking down, he realised he was still wearing his Phobia costume, minus the mask. Slowly but surely, he began making his way down the corridor, dreading what might lay ahead. As he walked, he noticed that one of the classroom doors was open slightly. Opening it all the way, he looked over to the window, only to see Batman, staring out into the seemingly endless rain._

"_Batman? Where are we? What's going on?" he asked, making the Caped Crusader turn to face him. Eddie gasped in shock at what he saw. Where Batman's mouth would've been, instead of flesh and lips, was a skeletal jaw, including two empty eye sockets. _

"_You really think you're helping people? That's what your father thought he was doing. And he's now one of the most powerful villains in Gotham" he explained, making Eddie narrow his eyes. Not wanting to hear another word, Eddie slammed the door shut and continued down the corridor. Opening the next room, he found a skeleton wearing a black leather jumpsuit, including a helmet with fake cat ears on top. This must've been the toxin's interpretation of Catwoman. She sat on the teacher's desk, swinging her legs in a playful fashion, staring at him. _

"_How is putting your fear toxin into criminals any different than putting it into innocent people? It still traumatises them, it still scars them for life. You're just as bad as your dad" she mocked, making tears well up in Eddie's eyes. _

"_That's not true" he replied, slamming the door shut and moving on to the next classroom. Sure enough, a skeletal representation of Daredevil was leaning against the classroom wall, twirling his pickaxe in his hands._

"_You're not a hero. You're just driven by anger. You just want people to pay. At least when I do it, I don't screw with their minds" he mocked, causing more and more rage to build up in Eddie. Once again, he slammed the door and moved on. In the final room, he found a skeletal Raven, sitting on the teacher's desk in a similar style as Catwoman. _

"_Don't you remember what you did at that bank? What you did to Doug? What you did to me?" she asked, causing Eddie to snap._

"_SHUT UP!" he screamed, closing his eyes due to the pressure. However, as he opened them, he found himself in a completely different part of the school. The Cafeteria. Not wanting to stay a second longer, he ran to the wooden double-doors, only to find them locked up tight. As he tried shaking them loose, he heard quiet footsteps coming from behind him. He turned, not realising the HUGE mistake he was making. Illuminated by the moonlight shining through the windows, he made out the form of Clea, slowly walking towards him, dragging her feet as she did so. From a distance, he could see a dark red substance dripping from her fingers onto the speckled porcelain floor, creating a trail as she continued at a slow pace. To shorten her journey, he met her halfway, hoping she was okay. Now up close, he could see the same red substance seeping out of her tear ducts and rolling down her cheeks. _

"_Clea..." he began, too scared to continue._

"_You caused this" she began, scaring Eddie even more._

"_What do you mean?" he asked, on the verge of tears. _

"_This is all your fault. You were the one who decided to start fighting crime, you were the one who risked your life to save Raven, you were the one who helped Quinn rob the bank, you were the one who set Batman free AND you were the one who lashed out at Joker. If you'd never become Phobia, you wouldn't have caused all this" she continued, a small grin appearing on her face._

"_Clea, this isn't you. I know you, I...love you" he tried getting through to her, even thought it was pointless. But all he got as a reply was a hysterical laugh._

"_If only I could say the same, Strach. You seriously think I love you back? You must be thicker than I thought. Seriously, who'd love a loser like you?" she explained, breaking Eddie's heart and causing a bitter tear to roll down his cheek. _

"_No...you don't mean that...you can't mean that..." he whimpered, only encouraging her hysterics. _

"_Well, guess again, Dipshit. But don't take it to bad, I'm only...clowning around" she finished as her voice changed to a deeper, more masculine tone. Eddie watched in complete terror as the girl he loved transformed into the clown pince of crime, his eyes glowing a bright shade of orange. Before Eddie could react, Joker clasped his hands around his neck and raised him off of the ground, slowly cutting off his air supply. Eddie gasped for breath whilst Joker cackled at his misery._

"_You've failed, kid. You've failed your girlfriend, you've failed the Bat, you've failed your mom and do you want to know the worst part? You've failed your dad" he finished, curling his hand into a fist and bringing it back. Little did he know that the last sentence he mentioned was crossing the line. Eddie snapped and uttered a single word._

"_No"_

_Before Joker's fist made contact with Eddie's face, it froze, unable to move any further. Joker, now fearing the worst, lowered it and released Eddie from his grasp. _

"_But...how are you doing that?" he asked, his eyes now losing their orange glow. But, as Eddie spoke, the glow suddenly reappeared in his own eyes._

"_You used MY fear toxin, therefore, this is my world. And in my world, you obey my rules" he replied, causing Joker to back away slightly. All of a sudden, the whole school crumbled away around them, revealing the familiar swirling vortex which featured in many of Eddie's hallucinations. With most of the ground disintegrating, this left him and Joker standing on a podium of porcelain, a harsh gale blowing around them. Suddenly, almost mirroring Joker's attack, Eddie grabbed Joker by the throat and hung him over the swirling vortex, meaning he could let go at any moment. _

"_You've screwed up my life up big-time. And now you're saying that I'M a failure? Let's get something straight, I'm not a monster, I'm not evil, but most importantly, I am NOT like my dad. I'm helping the people that Daredevil can't get to in time. I'm protecting people when other's would just walk away. So listen and listen good. It doesn't matter what you say, I'll always be here to protect New York. And I'm not letting a scrawny piece of shit like you stop me" he finished, putting more than enough fear into the clown._

"_What the hell are you?" he asked, making Eddie pull him in close. _

"_I'm the monster under your bed, I'm the creature you see lurking in the shadows..." he began, slowly raising his fist before uttering the bravest words he'd ever say._

"_...I am Phobia" he finished before ramming his gauntlet into Joker's face. _

**- In reality -**

Pain shot through Joker's cheek as Eddie's spare fist rocketed into his face, sending him flying across the platform until making contact with the cold, metal wall. The guards erupted in a huge cry of "oohs" as Eddie awakened from his two second nightmare. Unknown to them, what had been two seconds to them had felt like ages to Eddie.

"But...how did he..." Batman began before Scarecrow cut him off.

"That's my boy" he finished, a grin forming behind his mask. As Eddie rubbed his sore knuckle, Harley instantly rushed over to his side, helping him up off of the ground. As he stood up, Joker reached up and wiped away the small trickle of blood coming from his nose, his eyes narrowing at the three opponents. However, before Joker could retaliate, Daredevil called out to Batman as the fight broke out once more.

"Hey Batman, we could use some help down here" he called as he kicked one of the guards in the stomach. Batman nodded and dived into the crowd, soon followed by both Phobia and Scarecrow. Joker placed both hands on the railing, watching as the brawl ensued.

"Ivy, do something. Make some vines come out of the ground, I don't know, but at least try to help" he ordered, disregarding her emotions.

"Actually Joker..." she began before tapping him on the shoulder. But once he turned to face her, he fell straight back to the ground as she hit him in the face.

"...I resign. That's for trying to kill my daughter" she finished before joining Batman in the fight.

"_Why is everybody going for my face?_" Joker thought as he picked himself up once more.

**- Switch to montage -**

**(Music Playing: Evanescence – Everybody's Fool)**

- Batman blocks multiple blows from a single guard before hitting him in the stomach, then raises both fists behind him to knock out two guards which were planning to attack from behind -

- Catwoman and Daredevil fight back to back as the guards try to attack them. Then, they link arms and Daredevil starts spinning, allowing Catwoman to "wall-run" along the faces of many guards -

- Raven slides across the ground, tripping up some of the guards, but before she can stand up, a guard comes running at her. In self-defence, she rams her boot into his groin. And as he drops to his knees, she kicks him in the face, sending him sprawled out on the floor -

- Ivy has surprisingly skilled athletic abilities which help her in combat. She flips a guard onto the floor then does a sweep kick, tripping up many more -

- As for Scarecrow and Phobia, they too are fighting back to back, injecting multiple guards with fear toxin and knocking them out -

**- Montage ends -**

Joker growled in anger as his make-shift army fell like dominoes. With only a few men remaining, he turned to the clay monster with an angry look.

"Clayface, get out there and finish the job!" he ordered, pointing towards the antagonists. Letting out a disfigured roar, Clayface leapt over the railing and landed right in the middle of the warehouse, causing the ground beneath him to shake and the ongoing fight to cease. First, his left arm shot out, wrapped around Raven's waist and lifted her up off of the ground. Then, his free arm shot out and grabbed Phobia, lifting him up also. They both screamed as Clayface swung them around in his grasp, threatening to drop them at any moment. Scarecrow was the first to speak.

"Let them go, Clayface" he ordered, showing small signs of rage.

"NO! So far, everybody I've killed today has survived, but no more! I have two kills which are long overdue! First, your son! Then I'll deal with your daughter!" Clayface responded angrily, not realising the impact of what he'd just said. Scarecrow froze as that sentence hit his eardrums, not just scaring him, but scaring Ivy as well. At first, Crane had no idea how to respond, but soon enough, he plucked up enough courage to speak.

"Daughter? What are you talking about?" he asked, Clayface however seemed just as confused.

"Wait, you didn't know?" he asked in response, causing Joker to run his hand down his face in irritation.

"She never told him, Dumb-ass" he replied, as he did so, Ivy stepped forward until she stood beside Scarecrow.

"You...you remember that night we spent together? Back in '97?" she asked, but she didn't need an answer. Scarecrow had already figured it out. He raised his head to Raven, still coming to terms with this new information.

"Raven, isn't it?" he asked, getting a nervous nod as a response.

"How old are you?" Scarecrow asked again, he had to be sure about what was happening.

"I-I'm fifteen. Same as Eddie" Raven replied, realising that it was time he learned the truth.

"So...you were..." Scarecrow trailed off, slowly turning to face Ivy. With a tear in her eye, Ivy nodded, not bearing to look him in the eyes. Shaking his head solemnly, Scarecrow reached for Ivy's chin and raised her head so he could see her face.

"Pamela, why didn't you tell me?" he asked, causing tears to slowly roll down her cheeks.

"I-I was afraid of how you'd react. When I got brought back to Arkham, I heard about that other woman you'd met in New York, I heard about what you...d-did. I figured you'd already be stressed w-with one child in the picture, I didn't want to hurt you in any way" Ivy whimpered, returning her gaze to the floor. Then, without warning, Eddie chimed in.

"But...you and Ivy? What are you two saying?" he asked, still confused. But, to his surprise, Raven answered.

"Eddie, Ivy's my birth mother" she said, causing an epiphany to erupt inside Eddie's mind.

"So, you're my...half-sister?" he asked, finally figuring it out. Raven slowly nodded, waiting his outcome. Then, slowly but surely, Eddie's eyebrows shifted into a frown and he gritted his teeth. He craned his neck as much as possible so he could see Clayface.

"Let me get this straight: So far today, you've tried to kill my girlfriend AND my half-sister?" he asked, the tone of his voice shifting from angry to demonic. All Clayface did was laugh deeply.

"Sure, what's it to you?" he asked, causing darkness to flood Eddie's soul. Just then, Joker's voice returned to the conversation.

"For God's sake, stop with the family therapy. Karlo, crush 'em!" he ordered, an order to which Clayface quickly obliged. Both Eddie and Raven let out painful groans as Clayface tightened his grip around their waists. As Ivy covered her mouth in worry, Scarecrow shouted out in anger.

"NO!" he called, not getting any feedback. Meanwhile, Eddie was painstakingly trying to get his arms free from Clayface's grasp, he pushed and pushed against the greasy structure which housed him, until finally, the clay surrounding his arms collapsed, freeing his gauntlets. Looking over to Raven, he saw that her arms were already free. With the breath in his lungs which Clayface hadn't squeezed out of him, he called out to his estranged sibling.

"Charlotte, catch!" he creaked out, pulling off one of his gloves and tossing it to her. Hearing his voice, she craned her neck towards him, just in time to catch the glowing, metal glove. As she placed it on, Eddie raised his remaining glove above his head and plunged it into Clayface's arm, sending enormous, orange veins down his arm and long his face. Raven instantly caught on to what he was doing, grinned and plunged her own glove into Clayface's other arm. Both of his arms were now illuminated by the fatal amount of toxin filling his clay arteries. After a moment of complete silence, let out a ear-piercing scream, causing every window in the warehouse to smash. Everybody around clamped their hands over their ears as Clayface slowly started to fall apart, until finally, he collapsed in a damp, smelly, greasy heap. The heroes watched in suspense as they waited for signs of movement, soon enough, a clay-covered figure rose from the pile coughing uncontrollably as she regained her air. Not long afterwards, a figure wearing a now filthy trench-coat rose beside her, wiping the filthy, orange substance off his face. Breathing heavily, both Raven and Phobia looked up at each other, smiled and embraced, both content with the outcome of their teamwork. Scarecrow and Ivy couldn't help but smile at this scene. But, as this was happening, Kingpin slowly rose from the ground, rubbing at the large, purple bruise on the back of his head. Noticing the lack of fighting in the room, he turned to the Joker, who looked back with surprise.

"It's about time you woke up. How do we get out of here?" he whispered, getting Harley's attention.

"I have a boat in the harbour, we can escape on that. Let's get out before anybody notices" Kingpin whispered in response. And they wouldn't have been noticed unless Daredevil hadn't been present. Using his radar sense, he could hear the conversation perfectly, almost as if he'd been part of it. Narrowing his eyes, he readied his pickaxe took off in a sprint towards the escaping criminals. At the sound of footprints approaching, Kingpin turned, only for his eyes to widen at the vigilante approaching him.

"I'm not letting you get away again, Kingpin" Daredevil announced, stopping in his tracks as Kingpin reached for the gun he'd previously dropped and aimed it straight towards him.

"Guess again, Devil. Catch" he challenged, quickly pulling the trigger. Reacting quickly, Daredevil dodged the bullet Matrix-style, allowing it to travel through the casing of the large machine behind him. Suddenly, sparks began flying out over the floor, scaring each hero in the room and causing the few remaining conscious guards to run away, a few carried the still unconscious guards out with them. Daredevil turned back to the Kingpin, glaring.

"What have you done?" Daredevil asked, causing the crime boss to shrug his shoulders with a grin.

"Heh, you tell me" he finished before heading out of the back door. Daredevil tried the handle, but it was locked. Unfortunately, there was a bigger problem to deal with. And it was exploding...kind of.

"What's it doing?" he asked, shielding his radar sense from the intensified thermal imaging of the sparks. Instantly, Scarecrow ran up to the device's keyboard and opened a window showing the device's status on the screen. Scarecrow's eyes widened as he read the text on the screen.

"Oh God, this device was powered by gamma radiated batteries. And Kingpin's bullet went straight through the cooling device's power cords" he explained fearfully. Eddie and Raven exchanged confused glances.

"Why was the cooling device important?" Raven asked, not understanding his rant.

"The cooling device kept the the batteries at a sustainable temperature, any hotter and they'd go into meltdown, meaning they could detonate at any given moment. But now the cooling device has gone..." he trailed off, hoping they'd catch on, to which they did. Batman was the first to speak up.

"How would be range of the blast zone?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"The machine uses free batteries altogether. It should be enough to take out New York and possibly the surrounding areas" Scarecrow finished, his voice sugar-coated with dread. His heart full of fear, Eddie stood forward.

"But...there must be some way to stop it? Isn't there?" he asked, his voice breaking slightly. Narrowing his eyes, Scarecrow nodded and began typing away in the same fashion as Eddie. Not a moment too soon, both Eddie and Raven joined their father at the controls, watching the random sequence of numbers and binary sequences on the screen.

"Maybe, if I'm able to forcefully decay the gamma particles, I might be able to empty the batteries. Thus, lowering the range of the blast zone to this warehouse" he explained, bringing a speck of hope to each of the heroes.

"Batman, get Catwoman and Daredevil out of here. I need to speak with the others" he said, getting a nod from the Dark Knight. Instantly, the three of them headed out of the shutter door, leaving the "family" alone inside the warehouse, the only sound being the sparks and fizzling from the deteriorating machine. First, Scarecrow knelt down until he was eye level with Raven.

"Charlotte, I swear, if I'd known about you, I would have broken out of Arkham a second time. Just to see you growing up. I'm sorry" he apologised, causing tears to form in Raven's eyes. Instantly, she pulled Scarecrow in for a hug, refusing to let go until he did otherwise.

"I...I forgive you" she sniffed, choking on her sobs. Next, Scarecrow stood back up and turned to face Ivy.

"Pamela, you did what you had to do. And I understand. I'm not angry, I just want you safe. You need to head back to Arkham with Batman. Promise me that?" Scarecrow asked, hoping for a good response.

"I will, Jonathan. I promise" Ivy responded, reaching for his mask. She lifted it slightly, revealing a chin coated with stubble and a medium sized mouth, to which she lay a gentle kiss upon, before pulling it back down again.

"Get Charlotte out of here and tell Batman to come back inside quickly" he ordered, getting a nod from Ivy in response. The red haired accomplice led the young heroine out of the shutter door, allowing Scarecrow to say his final goodbye to his son. Placing his hand on his shoulder, Scarecrow began his farewell message.

"Eddie, I'm sorry I couldn't see you, I just wanted to make your mother happy. I didn't want my only son to follow in my footsteps. If I was smart, I would've burnt that package a long time ago" he explained, but Eddie retaliated with his own input.

"Dad, finding that fear toxin was possibly the best thing to ever happen to me. Ever since I found it, I've been helping people in ways that I never imagined, in ways people only dream of doing. And I owe you for that" he responded, bringing a tear to his father's eye.

"If only you could repay me" Scarecrow responded, grinning behind the burlap shroud of a mask.

"I still can, I can get you out of here before the police arrive. I can help you live a normal life" Eddie suggested, clinging onto the chance of a happy ending, but to no avail.

"No, Eddie, you can't. Because...this is the last time we will every see each other" Scarecrow responded, scaring his son.

"But...you said you could stop the explosion" Eddie said, worrying that his father could be right.

"I said I could lower the range of the blast zone. That machine is still going to go off and I have to empty the batteries before it does" Scarecrow explained, causing Eddie's heart to sink.

"But that mean...that means..." he began before a familiarly deep voice caught their attention.

"He'll still be inside when the machine goes off. It'll kill him" Batman said dully, not showing any sign of emotion. He must've been standing there for a while. Hearing this, Eddie tried to reason with his father. However, before he could utter a syllable, Scarecrow silenced him.

"Listen, Eddie. I have to do this, if not, the whole city will pay the price. You need to survive, you have your whole life ahead of you. Don't throw it away because of me" he said, causing Eddie to fling his arms around his father's shoulders.

"I love you, Dad" he said, warming Scarecrow's heart in a whole different way.

"I love you too, Eddie" he replied, on the verge of crying. But as their embrace ended, Scarecrow turned to face the Caped Crusader.

"Batman, can I make a request?" he asked, getting an curious nod as a reply. Batman headed over to him and they started a whispered conversation.

"If this works, please don't arrest Eddie. I want him to live a normal life, a life I've always wanted him to have. Please" he begged, now sounding desperate.

"Of course, Crane. Just finish the job" Batman replied, getting a confident nod from his old enemy. As Crane started typing in the codes required to empty the batteries, both Batman and Eddie started a run for the door again. As Crane neared the end of his task, he heard a disfigured groan coming from the edge of the platform. Turning to the source of the noise, his eyes widened to see Clayface dragging himself over the railing towards him.

"Scarecrow...what do you think you are doing?" he snarled, making Scarecrow scowl at him. Scarecrow held Ctrl + F and a message appeared on the screen reading:

_**POWER SUPPLY DRAINED**_

_**EXPLOSION CRITICAL**_

As sparks started profusely flying out of the machine, Scarecrow said his final words.

"Being a good father" he said, seconds before both him and Clayface were engulfed by the flames.

BANG!

**A/N: Well guys, I'm closing in on my final chapter. If anybody reading this can review, even if you've never reviewed this story before, please do so and I'll add you're names as thanks in the footnotes. Well, until next time, RnR. Laters.**


	16. The End

**A/N: Hello guys. Well, this is it. After many months of writing this story for you readers, it's finally come to an end. But don't worry, I won't be gone long. After a well earned break, I'll be back to write more for this community. Until then, I have but one request. I haven't asked much of you, but if I could get one thing from anybody reading this, I'd wish for a review. Just to know that there are still people reading this, because you are the people who I'm writing this story for. And also, I'd like to say thanks for all the support you guys have given me throughout this writing process. Until next time, read on. **

**(MUST'VE READ JCPablo's deviantART STORY TO UNDERSTAND CERTAIN PARTS OF THIS CHAPTER. COMING SOON TO FANFICTION. UNTIL THEN, THE LINK'S IN MY PROFILE)**

Key:

- _**Eddie's Voice-over**_

- Normal Text

The ringing in Eddie's ears soon subsided as he picked himself up off of the cold, rough ground, coughing uncontrollably as the smoke entered his lungs. As he rolled onto his knees, he felt a hand enveloped in thick body armour grab his hand and help him back onto his feet. Looking up into the eyes of the Caped Crusader, Eddie couldn't help but feel a sense of safety, knowing that the nightmare was finally over. Looking around the debris-covered area, he could see Clea, Daredevil, Catwoman, Ivy and Raven all regaining their footing due to the explosion knocking them off of their feet. Glancing around the group, his eyes returned to Batman with full concern.

"Any sign of my dad?" he asked as he dusted himself down. Getting a solemn expression from the Dark Knight as a response.

"I'm sorry, Eddie. There's no sign of him" he replied, trying to sound as apologetic as possible, something he wasn't used to. Eddie's gaze shifted from Batman to the charred pile of rubble that was once the warehouse, a large pillar of smoke now climbing up into the sky as it burned. Letting an unnoticed tear roll down his cheek, he lowered his head in sadness, knowing that this time, his father wasn't coming back. Feeling another hand grasp his shoulder, he turned to gaze into the warm, comforting eyes of Clea, realising that, even though he'd lost his father twice, he still had something worth living for.

"C'mon Eddie, we have to go. The Police will be here soon" she explained, getting a nod from her boyfriend as he wiped away the stray tear. Taking one last look back at the burning wreckage, he turned away in grief and followed his comrades as they fled the scene.

**- Later at the warehouse -**

Bright floodlights illuminated the warehouse's remains as the fire crew started sifting through the charred rubble, using the fire hose to extinguish the remaining flames. One of the crew members headed over to the far corner of the rubble, towards a large piece of sheet metal. But, through the partial darkness, he noticed something out of the ordinary. A small glint of light, almost like a small metallic object. Kneeling down to try and get a better view, he turned back to the crowd of assembled firemen and police officers.

"Hey! Shine the light over here!" he called out, getting the attention of the men controlling the lights. Obeying his command, they turned the floodlight his direction, illuminating the sheet metal and revealing the cause of the glint. A metal, needle tipped glove. His eyes now wide, the fireman reached for the metal and lifted it with all his might.

"There's somebody under here, give me a hand!" he called for assistance. Instantly, the other firemen ran over and helped him move the metal out of the way, revealing Scarecrow's unmoving, seemingly untouched corpse. As they observed this horrific scene, back with the police officers, another one of the officers headed over to the group, hobbling mysteriously. Getting the attention of another officer, he headed over to him.

"I'm needed back at the station. I'll see you there" he explained, getting a nod from the other officer as a response. But as he walked away from the scene, nobody else noticed the strange abnormality: clay dripping from his fingertips, creating a trail as he made his escape.

**- Meanwhile -**

"So, YOU saved Charlotte from the hospital?" Eddie asked Ivy as the group sat on Daredevil's apartment building's roof. With the Safehouse destroyed, this was the next best place to meet up. Since they'd got there, they were still wondering how Raven had survived the hospital explosion.

"It's true, Clayface had killed her. But I was able to get her out of the hospital and back to the warehouse before anybody noticed. Once I got her back there, I was able to use a genetically altered spore I designed to erode the clay in her system and replace it with a sample of her own blood type which I fused together with my own" she explained, making the younger generation of the group confused.

"Why did you fuse it with your own blood?" Eddie asked, tilting his head slightly. Instead, getting a response from Batman.  
>"Ivy's blood is laced with chloroform, so when Charlotte was...conceived, her blood contained trace amounts. Plus, they would've helped revive Charlotte and restart her central nervous system" he explained, this time, causing Raven to respond.<p>

"But I've had blood tests before, wouldn't the doctors have noticed it?" she asked, worried about her well being.

"Like I said, they were trace amounts. Hardly noticeable without more powerful technology" Batman finished, putting the final pieces of the puzzle together. As this happened, Clea reached into her back pocket, took out her phone and checked the time.

"If it's okay, I think I should be going. Since I'm still alive, I'm going to get grounded for being out over my curfew" she said, standing up. As she did so, Eddie stood up beside her.  
>"Same here. I'll walk you back" he offered, getting one of her cute, little smiles as a response. But, as they headed for the door to the stairwell, a deep voice stopped them in their tracks.<p>

"Not so fast, Eddie. We still have something to discuss" Batman said, crossing his arms at the young hero. Knowing what he meant, Eddie sighed and headed over to him, removing his gloves in the process. Once he was standing in front of the Caped Crusader, Eddie held them out, allowing Batman to take them from his grasp.

"I understand. I won't be needing these any more" Eddie replied, turning to walk away again. However, Batman's gloved hand grasped his shoulder and turned him back the other way.

"We still have something else to discuss" he began, but Eddie knew what he was getting at.  
>"Don't worry, Batman. I'm fine about my dad. I'm just happy he died doing something right. Not something evil like I thought he'd do" he said, getting a solemn nod from Batman as a response.<p>

"I'm glad about that, Eddie. But...that wasn't the order of business I was talking about" he replied, confusing the young vigilante.

"Then, what were you talking about?" he asked, Batman responded by dropping the gloves to the ground and retrieving a black briefcase from under his cape, the same briefcase from the heist. His eyes widening, Eddie gazed at the case in Batman's grasp.

"How did you...never mind. Why did you take this?" he asked, watching a Batman placed the briefcase at his side.

"I figured this was important to you, Joker wouldn't give you all this money if it wasn't important" he replied, crossing his arms.

"My mom, she's way behind on the rent payments" he began before Batman finished for him.

"I know, I saw it on your profile when I was researching you. How much is in this case anyway?" he asked in response.

"About...Two Million" Eddie responded, making Batman's eyes widen slightly.

"That seems like a lot of money for one family" he commented, making Eddie nervous and causing him to rub his arm.

"It's not all for me. I'm only going to use one half so my mom settle her debt" he explained, causing curiosity to rise in Batman's mind.

"And what's the other half for?" he asked, his arms still crossed. Looking past Batman, Eddie looked at Raven with a smile.

"You'll see" he responded, making Batman sense the sparkle of genius in his eye.

**- Jessica's Coffee Place, The Next Day -**

Placing on her name-tag, Jessica headed behind the counter, glancing into the kitchen through the opening to see Mac starting up the grill for breakfast, that is, if anybody arrived for breakfast.

"Mornin', how you doin', Mac?" she asked, causing his gaze to quickly shift to her.

"Pretty good, Jessica. By the way, your kid came in earlier and left something for you, it's on the counter" he replied, causing her gaze to shift back to the counter. Sitting right on the edge, was a black briefcase. Confused, Jessica picked it up, held it to her ear and shook it, hearing a small rustle coming from inside.  
>"Why would my kid want me to have this?" she asked Mac again, not even glancing back at him.<p>

"I don't know, but he sure looked happy when he came in here" he replied, causing Jessica to raise an eyebrow.

"He? I have a daughter" she replied, placing the briefcase back on the counter and releasing it's latches.

"Well, whoever it was, the kid asked me to give it to you when you arrived. Any idea who it could've been from? Jessica?" he asked, not getting a response. The reason for this was because Jessica had opened the case and seen its contents: money, lots of it. Covering her mouth and letting a tear of joy roll down her cheek, she smiled, reaching up to wipe away the tear.

"Who...who did you say left this?" she asked, trying to hold back her small sobs.

"Umm...didn't get his name. He was young, about fifteen or sixteen, black hair" Mac replied, not noticing the situation Jessica was in at the moment. Glancing up at the door, Jessica noticed Eddie leaning against the doorway, grinning at the sight before him. Smiling uncontrollably, she was to happy to speak.

"Thank you" she mouthed, getting a grateful nod from the young saint as he headed away. Heading back to his apartment, he heard a whistle coming from the alleyway behind the Coffee Place, grinning as he noticed the familiar, orange-haired girl leaning against the wall. Heading over to join her, he too leaned against the wall.

"So, I guess we're half-brother and half-sister now, huh?" she said, getting a small chuckle from her estranged sibling.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm guessing we can't tell anybody. You know, cause of all that social services crap and stuff" Eddie suggested, getting a slow nod from Charlotte as she diverted her gaze to the floor.

"You okay?" Eddie asked, concerned.

"Not sure, I mean...we've seen each other before in school. And it feels weird that all that time I had a half-brother and I didn't even realise it" she replied, still gazing at the floor.

"Well, I'm sure that if we hadn't been separated, you would've made an awesome half-sister" Eddie comforted, giving her a playful punch on the arm. Charlotte grinned and punched him back.

"Thanks. Hey, did you see the new this morning? About what they found after the fire?" she asked, changing the subject. Reaching into her jacket, she revealed a copy of the Daily Bugle. The headline read:

**WAREHOUSE FIRE CLAIMS ONE LIFE**

"Yeah, they found my dad's body and reburied him back at Arkham. Didn't they also find Joker and Harley?" he asked in response. Grinning, Charlotte tapped the article below the headline. It showed a photograph of Joker and Harley being loaded into the back of a Police Cruiser.

"Apparently, Kingpin left them as bait for the police so he could get away. When I was living with my foster-parents, they'd already had an older son called Tom. He was with the strike team that tried taking down Clayface at the hospital whilst I was in the coma. He had the pleasure of arresting them personally" Charlotte replied, still grinning. Grinning back, Eddie folded up the newspaper and handed it back to her.

"What about you? Where are you staying now? I heard about what happened to your...foster-parents" he asked, but to his surprise, Charlotte continued smiling.

"Don't worry, with a little moral support from a Mr. Bruce Wayne, Jessica's now my legal guardian" she explained, glee literally filling her voice.

"That's great news. But I'm still trying to take in the fact that he's the Batman" Eddie replied. You see, after he'd explained his plan the night before, Batman decided that is was time he learned the truth. So, he revealed his secret identity to the young hero. It only seemed fair since Charlotte knew.

"Tell me about it. Well, I think everything's wrapping up quite nicely" she finished, but before Eddie walked away, her voice stopped him.

"Wait...Clayface was impersonating me all day yesterday, right?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah" Eddie replied, turning back to face her.

"So, he was impersonating me at school too, right?" she asked again.

"Pretty much" Eddie replied, seeing where she was going.

"He didn't...do anything bad, did he?" she asked, now sounding a little bit scared. Grinning, Eddie headed back over to her.

"Well, he did do one thing" he replied, causing Charlotte's eyes to widen in fear.

"Was it bad?" she asked quickly.

"Not really. Do you know a kid at our school called Harper?" Eddie asked, making Charlotte calm down a little.

"The cute guy in my science class? Yeah, why?" she asked, grinning slightly.

"No reason. But, on a completely unrelated topic, how would you like to go on a double date with me and Clea?" Eddie asked in response.

**- Later that night -**

Ivy carefully climbed into the back of the Bat-Wing, the handcuffs not making it any easier. As for Batman, Catwoman and Daredevil, they were saying their goodbyes.  
>"Well, Devil, it's been good working with you" Batman said, holding out his hand.<p>

"Like wise" he replied, shaking it in response. Reaching up to his ear, Daredevil retrieved the earpiece which Batman had given him and held it out on his palm. Batman however, pushed the hand away, confusing the vigilante.

"Keep it, I may need your help again someday" Batman responded, causing a grin to spread across Daredevil's face as he placed back on his ear. Batman stepped back, allowing Catwoman to stand in front of Daredevil and wrap her arms around him affectionately. Slowly, they leaned in for a kiss as Batman watched, no emotion in his eyes whatsoever. Pulling away from their kiss, Catwoman gazed into the mirrored eyes of the red-clad hero.

"I'll come back and see you whenever I can. I promise" she said, causing him to grin.

"I can't wait" he replied as they pulled in for a final embrace. As they parted, Catwoman climbed inside the Bat-Wing, sitting in the passenger seat in front of Ivy. Soon enough, Batman did the same, taking one last glance back at Daredevil.

"Take care, Matt" he said as the compartment closed, readying the Bat-Wing for take off. Using his radar sense, Daredevil watched in wonder as the Bat-Wing rose from the rooftop it rested on and rocketed away into the sky, its destination: Gotham. Turning back to the city, Daredevil removed his nun-chucks from their holster.

"_Well, now Batman's gone back to keep his city safe, it's time I did the same_" he thought as he dived over the edge of the building, safely landing on a window washer's platform and jumping across to the opposite apartment block.

**- Two Days Later -**

The doors of the Movie Theatre swung open, allowing a sea of people to exit into the dark, cold streets of New York. Among them was a group of four, a group of teenagers. One of the boys had long, black hair covering his eyes, a small, almost unnoticeable scar on his cheek and had his arm wrapped around the shoulder of one of the girls, she had straightened, purple hair and eyes wrapped in mascara. Alongside them was another couple, the boy had fair, brown hair, whilst the girl had long, orange hair which reached her shoulders. Stopping just outside the doors, each couple turned to face one another, both grinning.

"Guys, if it's okay, I was going to walk Charlotte home" Harper said, giving "the look" to Eddie, a look which Eddie couldn't help but grin at.

"Sure thing, man. I'll see you around" he replied, holding out his free hand and rolling it into a fist. In response, Harper curled his hand into a fist and bumped it against Eddie's.

"See ya" Clea bid farewell to the couple as they each went their separate ways.  
>"Bye" Charlotte replied as they headed away, leaving each other with their "partners". As Eddie and Clea walked, Eddie turned to face her, a serious look in his eyes.<p>

"Do you think what I did was right? Keeping the money I stole?" he asked, causing Clea to face him.

"Hey, at least you didn't do what other people would with it" she replied, causing Eddie to raise his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"he asked, shivering slightly as the cold wind penetrated his black hoodie.

"Well, other people would've kept it for themselves. But you gave it to the people who needed it the most. And, if you ask me, that's what a real hero would do" Clea explained, making Eddie's eyes widen and making his mouth form into a grin.

"Really? You think I'm a hero?" he asked, only this time, instead of getting a verbal response, she stopped him in his tracks and slowly pulled him in for a five second kiss. As they parted, she looked into his deep, blue eyes with pure happiness.

"You saved my life didn't you?" she asked as a secondary reply. Wrapping his arms around her shoulder once again, Eddie continued down the side-walk with the girl of his dreams at his side. But, as the couple turned into Times Square, Clea turned to face her boyfriend again.

"So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to give up the superhero game or something?" she asked curiously, causing a small giggle to erupt from Eddie's throat.

"Trust me, this isn't the last you've seen of Phobia" he finished, moving in closer and allowing her to gently rest her head on his shoulder.

**- Switch to different scene -**

**(Music Playing: Nickelback – Just to get high)**

_**I was right you know...**_

The man gasped out in pain as the three thugs beat the living crap out of him, enjoying every minute of it as blood trickled from his nose.

"This is for not paying back Kingpin's money" the first thug said before kicking the man straight in the stomach. But, as they prepared him for another beating, a silhouette filled the street-light, causing each of the thugs to turn to the source.

_**Because, there was something I hadn't realised...**_

Standing a few meters away, was figure in black, leather, combat boots, a bullet-proof vest, a black, leather trench-coat and a new, black gas-mask, his first one being left behind in the warehouse explosion. However, due to the bad lighting, his hands could not be seen. With the thugs distracted, the man getting beaten up ran for his life, not even looking back. Recognizing the assailant, the second thug retrieved a switch-blade from his back-jeans pocket and charged towards the vigilante. Reacting fast, Phobia leaned back to dodge the blade, then kicked the weapon out of the second thug's grasp.

_**There were more people out there like Joker and Kingpin...**_

Grabbing the second thug by his shoulders, Phobia head-butted him in the face, knocking him out cold.

_**And like them, they want nothing else but to be in control...**_

In retaliation, the third thug charged at Phobia, full of rage. But, as the third thug started throwing multiple punches, all missing him, Phobia grabbed the thug by the throat and bashed his head against a dumpster beside him, also knocking him out.

_**So, I've decided to continue the fight against them. Like my dad gave his life to do...**_

However, unnoticed by Phobia, the first thug had started running away down the opposite end of the alleyway. But before he could get very far, a winged, orange-haired figure swooped down and kicked him straight in the face, knocking him back over to Phobia. As he stood up, Phobia grabbed the first thug by his neck and held him against the wall.

"Please, don't use that freaky fear shit on me. Please" he begged as Phobia slowly raised his other hand to reveal...

_**So, I do still fight crime as Phobia...**_

...a leather, fingerless glove. The first thug the stared at his hand with confusion.

"What? I thou-oof" he tried to say before Phobia's fist knocked him unconscious, just like his allies.

_**Just in a more healthy way...**_

Looking up, Raven looked back at him with a grin on her face as she headed over to him.

"Nice save" Phobia complimented, gesturing to the unconscious thug leaning against the wall.

"No problem" she replied, walking over to the fire escape and beginning her ascent towards the roof. Phobia, hearing the police sirens, followed suite.

_**With a little help of course...**_

Once they'd reached the roof, both heroes looked to the opposite rooftop to see Daredevil looking back at them, a serious look plastered in his face. As the crime-fighting siblings watched in anticipation, a grin slowly spread across his lips as he nodded to a squad of separate Police Cruisers below, heading straight into town.

"Can you hear the radio?" Raven asked the crimson vigilante.

"Yeah, seems there's a drug deal in progress a few blocks away. You kids want to tag along?" he asked, readying his pickaxe. Both grinning, Phobia and Raven leaped across to the same rooftop and the three of them started running from roof to roof, prepared to fight another battle.

_**Cause sometimes, this isn't something you can do on your own. You need to work together as a team. That's what we are now, a team. Satan's Army. Why? Because of the three members:**_

_**- The girl who destroys fear.**_

_**- The man without fear.**_

_**- And the boy who spreads it.**_

_**However, I'm not just doing this for the city. I'm doing this in my dad's honour. I'm not just going to carry on his legacy, I'm also going to carry on his name. My name is Edward Jonathan Strach. I am your worst fear. I am your Phobia. **_

**- Music ends -**

**- Epilogue -**

Sirens and red lights filled Arkham Asylum as multiple security guards headed down the corridor, lead by Commissioner Jim Gordon. As they did so, a single guards headed towards them, panting heavily as he regained his air supply. Stopping the troops, Gordon looked up the guard up and down, he wore an Arkham Guard Uniform with a tinted black S.W.A.T. Mask covering his face, Gordon noticed the officer I.D. embroided on his shoulder, it read:

501 – 748

Remembering the situation, Gordon redirected his gaze to the guards mask, so he could question the individual.

"What happened?" he asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"There's something...at Scarecrow's...grave. I...I..." the guards stammered between each breath, obviously exhausted.

"Go get some rest, son. We'll handle this" Gordon ordered, getting a quick nod from the guard.

"Yes, sir" he replied, walking past Gordon and the guards towards the exit. As Gordon and his team continued into the Arkham Courtyard, they started heading towards the tree which Scarecrow had been buried under. Stopping a few feet away, Gordon retrieved a revolver from his holster and turned to his team.

"Get ready" he ordered, causing his guards to load their guns. On Gordon's command, they all headed towards Scarecrow's grave, only to see a large hole in front of the tombstone. Looking inside, all they could find was empty coffin. And Scarecrow was nowhere to be seen.

"But..he was dead" one of the guards said, turning to face Gordon who was rubbing his eyes irritantly.

"Crane's smart. He would've found a way to fake his death" he responded, lifting his head as the sound groaning hit his eardrums along with the rest of the squad. Following the sound, two of the guards pulled apart some bushes beside the tree to reveal a man, stripped down to his boxers and lying on the ground with his hands behind his back with some rope. The guards instantly lifted the man up onto his feet and untied his hands, leaving red marks on his wrists from where the rope had rubbed him. Stepping forward, Gordon looked the man in the eyes as he rubbed his sore wrists.

"What's your name, son?" he asked, rubbing his chin whiskers curiously.

"My...my name's Andrew Connors. I was patrolling Scarecrow's grave, but I found it empty. I was going to report it, but somebody knocked me out cold. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in a shrub with my uniform missing" Connors replied angrily. Curious about the missing uniform, Gordon began speaking again.

"What's your officer I.D., Connors?" he asked, thinking if he might have seen it somewhere.

"It's 501 – 748, sir" the woozy guard responded, confusing Gordon.

"Are you sure?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Yeah, why?" Connors asked, beginning to sound curious.

"Cause I just saw another guard with that same I.D. exiting the...oh crap" Gordon cursed, realising the fatal flaw he'd made.

**(Music Playing: Styx – Renegade)**

Guards moved passed the guard with officer I.D. 501 – 748 embroided on his sleeve as he headed down the stairwell and over to the vehicle bay. Heading into the office, he retrieved a set of car keys from the wall before heading over to one of the S.W.A.T. vans, opening the side door and climbing into the driver's seat. Once the door was closed, he pulled off his S.W.A.T. Mask, revealing the face of Jonathan Crane. Reaching into his uniform, he pulled out his trademark burlap mask and hood with the gas mask attachment and pulled over his face, once again donning the identity of Scarecrow. Placing the keys into the ignition, he turned them, smiling as the engine roared into life. Suddenly, alarms began to blare overhead, filling Scarecrow's ears. Realising that he didn't have much time left, he pressed his foot to the accelerator, letting out a whoop as he broke through the bay doors and crashed through the Arkham Gates, heading straight towards Gotham. Looking in the rear-view mirrors, he saw many Arkham Guards climbing into Police Cruisers, planning to give chase at any moment. Scarecrow grinned underneath his mask as the familiar sound of sirens filled his ears.

"Man, I've missed this" he said gleefully as he made his way towards Gotham.

**- Music ends -**

**The End**

**Coming Soon: Phobia: Stainless Steel**


End file.
